My closest friends know I’m a huge Happy Gilmore fan. Back in the day I watched it at least a few times a week. I had ringtones and computer alerts with soundbites from the movie. In the scene where Mr. Larson (played by Richard Kiel) threatens Shooter McGavin, he’s wearing a distasteful pro-gun shirt that reads “Guns Don’t Kill People… I Kill People.”

Maybe that’s where I got my favorite solar energy related catch-phrase: “Homes Don’t Use Energy… People Use Energy.”

If you think about it for a minute, it’s pretty obvious. While most people would consider electricity a necessity, technically speaking, energy use is a choice. You can turn off light switches. You can shower in cold water. You can go with a raw food diet. You can turn that pool into a giant sandbox and turn off your pump.

Let’s be realistic… Most people are not going to endure the heat of summer in Southwest Florida without air conditioning, or at least some serious fans. The point is that we choose to use electricity. Our homes do not use energy by themselves. Some homes are more energy efficient, but that efficiency comes from choices made by humans. How much and what type of insulation was chosen. What types of light bulbs were chosen. Did the pool builder choose a variable speed pump? At what temperature do you choose to set your thermostat?

Just like Bob Barker had some choice words for Happy Gilmore in the movie, you have a choice about your energy use, and your energy production source. While most choose to buy electricity from their utility company, I have chosen to produce my own. Well… people don’t produce solar electricity, solar panels do!