So here we are, at the last page of the calendar for 2008. Hard to believe, isn’t it?

For me, it was a year of big changes. I went from working on television and forecasting the weather, to the world of energy. It’s been a change that has come with a steep learning curve.

As a rookie at PSE back in February, I thought we had windmills making electricity at our wind farms. Now, as a veteran of nearly a WHOLE year I know that we actually utilize wind turbine generators (WTGs to the in-crowd) as a power generation resource. And that’s just part of the lingo I’ve had to learn in trading my Doppler radar and infrared satellite for the natural gas and electric business.

Part of my new career is writing this column, which I really enjoy. Back before my days in meteorology, I was a speechwriter at Boeing, and I’ve even managed to hammer out a few novels that received thoughtful, courteous form rejection letters from the most prestigious publishers. Years ago, I wanted to write the Great American Novel, and now I’d just like to get a paperback on the shelf of better bus depots everywhere.

Meantime, I get plenty of great feedback from readers. In fact, some 350 e-mails have landed in my AskAndy@PSE.com inbox.

What’s interesting is the change in who’s writing.

In March, most e-mailers were pretty green oriented, with questions about the environment or climate change and how better energy choices can save the planet. By late June, the weather was a favorite theme, with a lot of questions about our cool and generally dreary spring.

As August rolled around, the summer sun had finally shown up and solar was on everyone’s mind. Then, by October, when the economy turned sour, the messages in my inbox went right to the bottom line of saving money, and saving it now.

While the questions changed with the seasons and the news of the day, the answers I gave often stayed the same. For example, if you want to save the planet, good insulation helps cut your carbon footprint. And, when June can pass for January, good insulation can at least keep the chill outdoors, where it belongs.

Going solar? Then don’t waste your new-found power of the sun by having leaky walls. Looking to save money? Again, upping the R-value of those walls, ceilings and floors will insulate you from the chill on Wall Street and help ensure every dollar counts.