Smarter, Greener, Less Broke (Sponsored Post)
When we first spoke with our realtor about the house, we could hear the excitement in her voice. We had somehow discovered one hell of an opportunity. A foreclosure in rough shape, for sure, but the potential...THE POTENTIAL.
As we drew up the offer paperwork just hours after first laying eyes on the inside of the house, she point-blank said, "If you weren't buying this place, I would be."
The house we bought was only five years old at the time, but through a strange series of events I'll never understand, it had been trashed. But, still, the bones were good. Nearly all of the damage fell under the category of: "We can fix that!"
The first owners had paid $276,000 to have the house built. We paid $183,000. Like I said, ONE HELL OF AN OPPORTUNITY. But with that opportunity came some...baggage. There are a lot of things about the house we don't like.
Number one on that list is the fact that it's too big. Yes, really. The house is too big for us. Need an extra 1000 square feet? Because I have it to give. It sounds like a good problem to have, but have you paid the utilities on 1000 square feet that you don't need? It's delightful. Except, not. At all. The only way we can afford to live in this house is to be smart.
And by "smart," I really mean "green."
In the two years since we moved in, we have:
* Replaced light bulbs with energy efficient CFL bulbs.
* Added a motion sensor to a few strategic outdoor lights so we don't need to leave them on when they aren't needed.
* Installed solar lighting along our sidewalk.
* Purchased an ENERGY STAR compliant refrigerator.
* Frequently replaced the furnace filter because it runs more efficiently when it's not struggling to get air.
* Installed an ENERGY STAR compliant ceiling fan in our loft to help with air circulation.
* Installed WaterSense showerheads.
It's a long list of little things, but it adds up. BIG TIME.
Consider this. Our first home was a townhouse that was built in 1984. It was a whopping 1200 square feet. We had budgeted billing for both electric and gas, meaning we paid the same amount every month. Our gas bill was right around $70 per month (which covered running the furnace and our water heater.) Our electric bill was about $100 per month.
Our current home is around 3500 square feet, plus we have a finished basement. Our average gas bill is $140. Our electric bill averages around $150. We're dealing with nearly three times the space, but our utility bills haven't even doubled. Being green is being smart. That's all there is to it.
Thanks to the helpful folks at The Home Depot, we had a chance to do a little shopping and find our next green upgrade.
You guys. YOU GUYS. Have you ever seen anything as sexy as this?
::swoon::
That gorgeous beast on the right? She's my new best bud. She's a 57-gallon rain barrel which will soon be installed on the side of house and connected to our rain gutters. She going to collect the rain and then give it back to me when I need it to water the garden. No more paying to keep the annuals alive!
Hooray! I am seriously way more excited about this than I probably should be, but I'm pretending my excitement is limited to the fact that our water bill will be reduced next summer. Really I'm just all around excited (she's so sexy!), but money is fun. Especially when I get to keep it. (Psst...my fancy new rain barrel that matches our house happened to be on clearance. Originally she was $149, but right now she's $111. Wahoooooo!)
What about you? What little things have you done to make your home more energy efficient?
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Reader Comments (8)
We've got (mostly) all CFL bulbs (though some of them? I'm now transitioning to LED because HELLO LONG LIFE! {though the initial cost? *totally* sucks}) and for outside we use the mercury vapor lights since we live in an area with no street lights (middle of nowhere) and they are considerably cheaper than some of the alternatives.
During the winter we use our woodstove as much as possible to heat the place and only use the propane if we *have* to and mostly use the furnace as a fan in combination with the gigantor ceiling fans we have.
Since our water is well water we're in the process of transitioning to low flow toilets (because a well? Is scary expensive to redrill/repair) and shower head. Can't do much about some of the faucets (the builder? Pretty sure he was clinically insane) but we're doing what we can.
I'd really like to get a rain barrel but not for plants (we gave up on those a long time ago) but instead for livestock watering. Those stock tanks get annoying to fill. Also it would be nice to store it for emergency use (we have a LOT of power outages) in a lot of places.
Easiest thing ever: unplug things you aren't using. Anything that is plugged into an oultlet is pulling electricity, and some things (like phone chargers) pull almost as much when they aren't in use as they do when you are actually using them. This can be kind of a pain for things you use regularly (living room tv, chargers for phones like mine with crappy battery life) but if you have things you don't use often (a tv in a spare bedroom, or a charger for something like an e-reader that you only charge every couple of weeks) unplugging is easy and can actually make a difference. Plus I read somewhere that it helps the device last longer but I'm not positive that's true.
A more expensive switch that makes a HUGE difference is energy efficient windows... most old houses lose a ton of heat and/or AC through windows. I think I would put that more in the category of waiting until your windows need replacing and then choosing energy efficient ones, unless you have a lot of extra money.
We have a tankless water heater that is to.die.for. Hot water. Always. And much more energy efficient! The new front loader washing machine has helped with utility bills too.
Now if I could just afford all new windows...swoon.....
Have you thought about renting out the extra space you don't use? I rent out one of my spare rooms to a college student, and it really helps with the bills (we split water and electricity).
It's illegal where I live to collect rainwater. :( Although between you and me, I still do during really heavy downfalls with rubbermaid bins, LOL.
How long do you think it will take to save $111 on your water bill? Our water bill was ridiculous over the summer, so it might not be too long. My kids bug me to be more green, have gotten us to buy the new CFL light bulbs, turn lights and other things off. We also noticed a difference with our new Energy star appliances. You had good tips, looking forward to seeing more.
Love your svelte rain barrel. We have her 2 fat step-sisters working full time on our house and although we have just under 2,000' we have a ranch so mucho roof = mucho water. Those girls will be getting sisters (or brothers) next year we can link them to to collect more. That will reduce our $100 water bill to @ $40 - yippee!
I SO want me a rain barrel. (And not just so I can laugh when I sing Oh Jolly Playmate. What?! With the girls.) But, Oh! My point. Aren't CFL lightbulbs the toxic kind that you're not allowed to throw away because if they break they're all kinds of poisonous?