April 18th, 2008 · 1 Comment

Back in Hunt County, Nancy Riddick knows all about the wind blowing: A recent storm produced gusts that snapped the retractable flagpole in her front yard.

Like Dr. Joseph, the Riddicks like the idea of combining environmental responsibility with cash savings.

“(The environment) was very important,” Nancy says. “We watch the news at night. Global warming. Ice caps melting. It kind of scares you. If everybody would do something, it would add up.”

By the time the Skystream was up and running, Nancy Riddick had become not just a satisfied customer, but an enthusiastic evangelist for the new technology. She routinely wears a Skystream T-shirt, and a sign in the front yard promotes the local vendor and the product.

If you want to know more about it, just drop by and ask. “I mean, daily, people drive by, pull into the driveway, write the number down,” she says. “If I’m outside, I’ll speak to them. Everybody has thought it’s fabulous. We’ve been very proud about it.” (You can also get more information at the American Wind Association website where they promote “small wind” power as clean, quiet and bird-neutral.)

Nancy describes herself as a “skeptical” shopper. She was prepared to find fault with the Skystream and steeled herself against a “used car salesman” pitch. Her husband, Ron, has a background in engineering, and the two grilled the Skystream representative for the better part of a day.

Somewhat to their surprise, they came away satisfied with the answers. A few months later, that Texas wind was shaving a significant amount off their electric bill.

“We are not easily pleased,” she says. “We are not easy to fool. But now, we’re big fans.”

Especially on those blustery days when the meter runs backwards.

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