All of us should try to limit our energy usage. Here are some of the things that my husband and I have done to save energy.
- We added insulation to the attic. We can no longer use the space for storage, but the insulation helps keep the house toasty warm, not to mention that we don’t get ice dams anymore.
- We replaced all of our windows and external doors. It cost us a bundle, but I shudder to think what our heating bills would be like if we hadn’t done it.
- We replaced our shower head. The new, efficient shower head works great. It was a totally painless way to conserve energy.
- We keep our thermostat set to the low 60s during the winter. It seemed cold at first, but I’ve gotten used to warming myself by wearing sweaters and fleecies. Now, when I go shopping during the winter, I almost can’t stand being in the store because it’s so dry and hot!
- We try to remember to turn off any lights we’re not using. It’s such a habit for us that our son, barely two years old, has already learned it. He knows to turn the light off when he leaves a room!
- We try to open windows and run fans instead of running the AC.
- We often use the energy saving feature on our AC, even though it’s extremely noisy.
- We use the coolest water temperature appropriate for each load of laundry.
- We’re trying to eat less meat and to buy more locally grown foods. We even joined a CSA last year!
- I buy all my music by digital download. My husband has warned me that I may regret this someday, since the quality of the MP3 files that they sell is not as good as the files we would create by ripping the CDs ourselves. Oh, well. I just don’t want to be responsible for more plastic being created unnecessarily.
- We try to buy minimally processed foods. It often seems that the more processed a food is, the more packaging that comes with it. More packaging means more energy usage and more waste.
It almost sounds impressive, like we’re being really “green,” but we didn’t do any of it to save the environment per se. We did it to save money or, in some cases, to improve our diet (being healthy saves money, too!). It was totally selfishly motivated, and yet so good for everyone.
There are still more ways in which we can selfishly save energy. My personal goals include
- Taking shorter showers
- Using fewer paper towels
- Eventually, building raised beds and growing some veggies