Using less energy is good. Switching to CFL Bulbs that use less electricity is one way to accomplish that goal. We bought 10 CFL Bulbs of varying watts this month to reduce our carbon footprint. This step was easy and it only cost us $31.00. Though the bulbs take time to warm up to produce their maximum light, I am willing to accept this as the price I pay for conservation. I have looked at other ways to save energy and money since this step was completed.

According to Consumer Reports, 45% of our energy bill is allocated to heating and cooling our house. We don’t have an air conditioner or other appliance that cools the house, so no money is going to cooling. The radiant floor heating for our 1000 square foot house certainly bumps our energy bill. Our goal is to keep the house no higher than 70 degrees and no lower than 65 degrees. This is mostly a late fall, through the winter and early spring heating principle. We accept lower inside temperatures and survive higher temperatures during the warmer months here in Eugene, Oregon.

I need to confirm the level of insulation for the house. The attic has fluffy, lose insulation that looks to be at least a foot deep. I am unsure about the walls however. I will have to do more research to find out about the insulation in there. Our house sits on a concrete slab, so we are set in that location. The other research I need to do is to find out if we can install a programmable thermostat for our heater. We constantly and manually change our thermostat based on the reading of a digital, wall-mounted temperature gauge. A programmable thermostat would allow us to reduce the heat at night and while we are away from the house. It had better be able to get the house up to temperature by the time we get up or come home.

Hot water is reported to take up 11% of the energy bill. The hot water heater is a mystery to me. Do we wrap it or not? The pipes are insulated, but it sits naked in the corner. References to wrapping the hot water heater state that you should consult the owner’s manual to determine whether wrapping is good or an act that will void the warranty. I will check to see that we have the temperature turned down to 120 degrees. That temperature appears to be a standard.

There are two options regarding the hot water heater that I would like to pursue if I had more money to spend on this project. One idea that I am toying with is to install an on-demand, instantaneous water heater. In my international travel I have used this type of shower heaters and have been satisfied, though I would have to get used to wires and switches being so close to the water. The other idea is the solar water heater. I keep reading about the subsidies and tax breaks available for solar water heating installation. I need to research this to find out if it is financially feasible.

Washers and dryers account for 10% of the bill. We air-dry our clothes as much as possible to reduce energy use and cost. Our washer and dryer have a scratch-n-sniff sticker of approval from the EPA. We spent more money to get the front loader washer that uses less water and energy. We use only warm water on light colored clothes and cold water on the rest to reduce energy.

With lighting making up 7% of the energy bill, our recent switch to CFL bulbs was a good step. However, we would have a greater impact on our bill and energy consumption by making changes to the heating and water heater appliances.

We need a smaller refrigerator. 6% of our bill goes to this appliance. We have what appears to be 1000 square foot refrigerator. We use 13 sq. ft of that space for the food we make each week. Anybody want to swap a newer model refrigerator that is about 5 feet high for our newer model 13-foot tall fridge?

Consumer Reports lists Household Electronics (4%), Dishwashers (2%) and Miscellaneous (15%) as making up the rest of the energy bill for a household. Our computer, modem and speaker system is our big household electronics energy sucker. We should look carefully at all of the little “things” that are plugged in and decide if there is a more efficient way to handle our usage in this area.