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Energy Conservation Works
By Solar energy | May 6, 2009
Energy Conservation Works
Going solar. Sometimes it seems the going is slower than I’d like. But occasionally I get motivation to keep going. Ours is defiantly a “Tortoise and Hare” story.
The most recent encouragement to keep our hare in the race was the arrival of our electric bill.
For eight months now, we’ve had our home on an energy diet of sorts, trying to reduce the amount of electric energy our home uses. The less energy we require the less we will need to spend on a solar energy system.
Our current electric energy bill…drum roll please… is 45 percent less than the same month last year!
Yes, that means a 45 percent reduction in kilowatt-hours used. And I am ecstatic.
I feel myself becoming an energy miser.
Not all months have shown this great a decrease in energy use. But each month, compared with the same month last year, has shown a decrease.
The interesting thing is, we have only been practicing energy conservation, not energy efficiency.
Energy conservation practices do not require huge outlays of money. Think of conservation as small conscious habits and choices, which, made daily, add up to huge savings over time.
After we get the conservation habits down, we begin implementing efficiency measures, which require some larger monetary investments.
After efficiency measures reduce our energy consumption even further, we will have a more accurate idea of how many solar panels we need.
I’ll keep you all posted on our progress.
We’d love to hear how your home energy story is unfolding, so leave us a comment. Thanks!
Topics: home energy bills, Reducing energy use | No Comments »