There are a couple of cool energy check lists to look at:
- Energy Information – Energy Saving Tips (from Google)
- Green Home Checklist
We had a $1200 energy bill last year, about 50/50 electric to gas. Unfortunately this was an increase of 20% over last year, we increased our usage by 20% :-( However, the average energy bill for a household in the US is $1900 – $2000 a year.
Our usage was about 4500 kwh and 415 therms in 2008 and going to use this as baseline going forward.
For PG&E customers, all this information is available online.
The goal is to decrease usage and costs by 20 – 25% next year and 50% in 5 years.
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Infrastructure things we had already done:
- Energy star appliances (heater/air conditioner, dishwasher, refrigerator, washer/dryer) though our dryer is now electric versus gas
- CFLs with most of our lighting except three way lamps, led under cabinet lighting, and "candle" type lights in the living room
- Insulated floors
- Double pane windows
Things to do:
- Insulate attic and install attic fan
- Research insulation for exterior walls
- home energy audit
- Continue evaluating use of solar panels and tankless water heating