Number 3. Energy
Efficiency. The savings for energy efficiency at home (and at the
office, church, etc) can easily be 20% to 35% with a fractional investment.
Ring up the local power company to schedule an energy audit. With very
inexpensive fixes like duct tape, caulk, programmable thermostats, and timers, the
utility savings can easily be $30 to $100 per month. (Payback in a couple
months.)
ToDo: Buy a couple Compact Florescent Light (CFLs) bulbs and start to use them in place of the most frequently used incandescent light bulbs. CFLs (and LEDs) cost more but they will save $30 to $40 in electricity over the life of the bulb. (Save 5-15% on utilities, payback 2 to 8 months.) Oh, make sure to buy the special versions if the light is adjustable on a rheostat.
ToDo: Get (and program) a programmable thermostat. Adjusting
the thermostat 1 degree warmer (and 1 colder in winter) can result in about a
10% savings.
Info from the Dept of Energy on Home Energy Assessments
(Audits). And more from www.EnergySavers.Gov.
Wanna do a home audit? Try the Do It Yourself page.
It makes you wonder. If your power
company suddenly charged you an extra $1,000 or $2,000 per year, you would
break out the shotgun and go have a talk with them about it. Right? (Well,
maybe not the shotgun, but ...)
But
virtually everyone everywhere can take $1,000 to $4,000 off of their annual
bill, starting within one month. AND, that savings would be realized for years.
Forever, really, if you continue to pay attention to the WATTS.
And we
are all not doing this.... Why?
