Wilcox+Writing+Theory


 * Writing Theory**
 * --describe people, place, practice to make an analytic point**

//Place//

You can find the main office of the New York Energy Research and Development Authority, a.k.a. NYSERDA, in a nondescript office park adjacent to the suburban Crossgates Mall Northwest of downtown Albany. The office claims one and a half square, brick buildings of the sprawling [1980's] complex, the only remarkable features of which are the awning of solar panels mounted above the main entrance and the handful of hybrid and electric vehicles parked in the massive lot. If you are a staff member or an intern, you access the building with your key fob; if you're a visitor, you sign in at the front desk. There is, however, little reason to visit NYSERDA unless you work for another state agency, you're a researcher funded by the Authority, or you're one of the thousands of consultants NYSERDA uses to conduct its research and implement its programs.

The staff of symbolic analysts here often speak of policy "levers" that, if pulled, will effect various changes in the vast, complex energy regime of New York State. The atmosphere of the office supports this view: from these modest cubicle banks and conference rooms, a small group of project managers and their staffs inconspicuously manage slow, steady, incremental change in New York's energy regime from behind the scenes.

In many ways, the geography and character of the NYSERDA offices mirror many of the unfortunate aspects of the modern U.S. energy regime. The built environment surrounding the office privileges the infrastructure of the private automobile, mostly paved, underserved by public transit, with high speed, four-lane roads, an absence of sidewalks and other pedestrian infrastructure, an abundance of excessively large parking lots. Sharing this landscape is Albany's "trash mountain" (a.k.a. the Rapp Road Landfill), the Pine Bush nature preserve, and big box and chain retailers, like Best Buy and Wal-mart. The offices are highly climate conditioned, the dress code button-down, the lighting rectangular and recessed. It is a quintessential non-place.

//Person/Practice//

The electricity bill is higher than normal. I know I use too much power each month, but between work and the baby, I just don't have the time or the presence of mind to devote to cutting back. But this bill is way too expensive, enough to make me think twice. We've been doing more laundry, using more hot water. Is the hot water heater electric? Is the dryer electric, too? I think the last one I had was gas. I should look behind it to see if there's a plug. What does it matter, anyway, though: Who has time to dry the diapers on the clothesline? My wife always leaves her chargers plugged in--phone, computer, camera. How much does that matter? I'm always pulling them out, but I forget, and sometimes--honestly--I just don't feel like walking across the room and bending over to pull out the plug. What is it, like, a quarter a day? Ten cents?

But this bill… its really a big change. This bill doesn't tell me anything except that this month is higher than average. There's a little graph that says so. Earlier this year I switched to a new electricity supplier, but that can't be why. The cost was supposed to be lower and more consistent. I spent hours looking into new suppliers and calling up NYSEG to get my electricity usage and the cost per kWh each month for the past year for comparison.

I call up the number on the bill and ask the woman on the phone if she can help me understand why it's so high. She asks if I use a space heater. I have been using a space heater recently, since the radiator in the bedroom isn't getting hot, and my wife is cold. Maybe that's it. I ask if NYSEG has any way to help its customers track their energy use and get their costs under control. She says no. Does NYSEG loan out consumer electricity meters--I know of one called the Kill-a-Watt--to their customers? No. I'm annoyed, but I try not to show it. It's not her fault; she just works at the call center. I'm surprised, though. Shouldn't this be regulated? Shouldn't utilities at least have to help energy users who want to use less? We have a mechanism decoupling revenue from energy sales in New York. Does it really work, or does NYSEG just want me to buy more electricity? I want to see my energy use in real-time and use less. I want to have a say in where my energy comes from. I'm willing to make sacrifices if I'm part of the process, if the system is really changing...

I've been researching energy policy for months at this point, and I know these kinds of changes are out there. But where?