reducing home energy use -- in real life:)

Over the past decade, I have added many electricity-using items to my household, including a cell phone (charger), an electronic game, an electric garage door opener, and a washing machine (Energy Star model, but still a big energy user). I know, I’m going in the wrong direction on reducing my use! But quite intentionally, I have tried to counter all of those additions with energy-saving steps as well. Apparently my efforts have worked, because despite the new items, along with rate increases, my utility bills for electricity and gas are nearly the same today as they were 10 years ago.


I’ve done a few small things, like replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents – but only as the old bulbs burn out. I don’t know how much electricity that has saved me, but I do know that even the CFLs in ceiling fixtures that I often leave on for security are going on eight years of heavy use!

Ok, yes, it took a few miles
of duct tape, but I
managed to get the
water heater blanket to stay on!

I also added a water heater blanket and weather stripping, neither of which went smoothly, but both of which are hopefully helping somewhat. My water heater is in a tiny room, with only an inch to spare between it and the wall. Trying to get the blanket, which is slick on one side and scratchy insulation on the other, and notably thicker than the available one inch of space, all the way around the heater tank -- can only be described as “wrestling.” And based on the 2,398,932 strips of duct tape I used to secure it in place, I’m not really sure if it will ultimately be better or worse for the environment! 

Weather stripping didn’t go much better, and in the end, six inches of it just hang from the door frame over my head. Still, I figure that means it’s 90% effective, and for now, I’ll take it!

Foam insulation on the walls of
my crawl space has greatly reduced
drafts, and made the floor warmer. 

The item that helped the most was, without a doubt, insulating my house. The ceiling was already well-insulated, but I had foam added anyway. The walls had NO insulation, nor did the upper blocks of the crawl space, so adding foam insulation to those has made a huge difference! Drafts are down, the temp in both summer and winter stays stable longer, and my utility bills dropped! An added benefit has been the insulation against outdoor noises.  I'm sorry to lose the bird sounds, but I sure don't miss the lawnmowers or loud cars! 

The price of the insulation was a price-gouger, to be sure, but the payback won’t take many years, and in the meantime, I feel good knowing my energy use has decreased.