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A few years ago I became interested in a different way to save energy which was very doable and survivalist friendly. That is using straw bale construction for house building. Although vehicle energy uses about 25% of our energy. House and building demolition, construction and heating and cooling use something like 50% of our energy. The British estimate that house heating and cooling uses about 28% of their energy. Thus saving energy with the right housing is more efficient than saving vehicle energy.

All true. In large parts of the country, building codes requiring simple passive solar-heating (window placement, eaves) and insulation in new homes would make an enormous difference over a 30-50 year time frame. Also, requiring a geothermal tap in the back yard for heating and cooling would make a huge difference.

If we were really serious about bankrupting the muslims and hugo, we would take a small portion of money we will waste every year on medicaid and retrofit all existing homes with a geothermal tap. Home heating and cooling costs down about 50%.

But we aren't serious. Instead, we are going to spend an incredible amount of money producing ethanol, which will have almost no net energy effect, except to make our cars run less efficiently. But it will buy a lot of votes for D's and R's alike as farmers lap up the subsidies.

"Building codes."

They have been a barrier to more straw bale construction, however several southwestern states now have established codes which are being accepted in other parts of the country.

My brother from Colorado who is a strawbale enthusiast, interested my other brother an architect in building a fully permitted home in Montgomery Co., MD about 8 years ago. It was 2,600 sq. ft, cost about 20% less to build, and is probably 3 or 4 times as energy effecient. It looks like an Italian villa.

Last spring I traveled around the country looking at straw bale structures. A simple one bedroom near Pensacola, FL would cost about $25,000 to $30,000 to build today. It survived Hurricane Hugo with no damage although large trees blew down very nearby. Some people complain that these houses look too primitive. I next went to the Burritt Mansion/Museum in Huntsville, AL. It is a large impressively elegant structure built in 1938. There is no way it looks as though it was built using 2,200 straw bales. If anyone is interested I can email some of the photos I took. Just private message me and leave an email address.

But we aren't serious. Instead, we are going to spend an incredible amount of money producing ethanol, which will have almost no net energy effect, except to make our cars run less efficiently.

I though I was the only one on FR who thought ethanol was just another way the government had of transferring wealth.