by Al Rutan

(Alternative Sources of Energy Magazine, Dec. '76)

Cold weather is ringing the doorbell. The ice on the rain barrels back of the house was over two inches thick one morning this last week. It generally melts during the day as the sun swings around against the west side of the house, but the reading on the thermometer jumping up and down is a sure indicator that soon the freezing weather will sock in for its winter stay.

For those of us who live in the north, winter is the no-nonsense time as to whether or not methane really does make sense for providing homespun energy from organic waste. If one is enthusiastic about the production of methane, all his neighbors will start watching him closely to see whether or not he can bite the bullet and make the system really an energy producer rather than an energy consumer when the going gets tough.