Forensic Modeling to Bridge Dataset Gaps – Making $ense of Energy
Modeling tools are used for more than forecasting. To complete the analysis of household energy consumption, forensic data modeling was required. Data from two different datasets were needed, and was in slightly different formats that prohibited a smooth alignment. The … Continue reading →
Mapping 10,000 Points of Hourly Power Use – Making $ense of Energy
In February, I asked my Electric Cooperative for help in understanding our solar panel output for 2024. They responded with 10,000 data hourly power consumption points over the 12 months of 2024 and the first two months of 2025. As … Continue reading →
Comparative Monthly Solar Output – Making $ense of Energy
This post continues the deeper dive into power production of a residential solar array. The last post on solar output looked at daily variability of this solar array in June 2024. Variability from cloud cover in this geographic location, 45 … Continue reading →
Spring 2025, Death, and New Life
As the 2025 Easter weekend approaches, the Biomass Rules winter compost pile nears ready-to-apply status. This photo illustrates all the undervalued organics from 2024, being prepared to add organic matter to the ancient clay soils, which after last year’s construction, … Continue reading →
Anatomy of a Residential Solar Collector Output – Making $ense of Energy
Conceptually solar energy is straight-forward. The sun shines and power is produced. Solar power production has much more variability. This chart reflects 30 days of solar power production recorded every 5 minutes each day. The data was collected each day … Continue reading →
Comparing Micro Household Food Costs to Macro CPI Food, Food Price Fun
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) carries significant weight in the flow of decisions and confidence in the US economy. Does the CPI mirror authentic food purchases? YES! Are household food expenditures and the Food … Continue reading →
South Central Illinois 2024 Produce Prices – Food Price Fun
Over the last few weeks, we have been sharing grocery retail prices (food at home) from our 2024 receipts. Today’s post captures four produce items: potatoes, mandarin oranges, dill pickles, and raisins. It is important to recall that this is … Continue reading →
Unpacking Applied Academic Agribusiness Programs
I had the incredible opportunity to build an undergraduate agribusiness program at Greenville University for nearly a decade beginning in 2016. I have four agricultural degrees from public land grant universities and worked in university research and extension. But working … Continue reading →
Processed Food Grain Purchases for 2024 in Rural Illinois – Food Price Fun
Food Price Fun compares the theory of food prices to practices of buying food. On the one hand the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) food prices provide the benchmark for the macroeconomy of food. But … Continue reading →
A Look Back at Local 2024 Food Purchases – Food Price Fun
While reviewing 2024 household expenditures at year’s end, the items within each grocery bill were retrievable. Access to this level of analysis opens new opportunities for understanding food prices. In the random data universe, this is an n=1. In other … Continue reading →