| We have all noticed how it costs a whole lot more to | | | | savings sooner that if we had spent the same |
| pay for a tank of gas to fill up our car, truck, SUV, | | | | money last year and the year before that and the |
| RV and gas-powered lawn mower. | | | | year before that and ... |
| But, what about your home electric and heating bills? | | | | The is called 'financial payback'. If we pay say $300 |
| Of course you have not noticed any change in your | | | | to purchase and install exterior solar blinds for our |
| home heating bills because its summer and you are | | | | east, south and west facing windows, last summer |
| not heating your home. And summer has just started | | | | we might have saved say $75 in electrical costs from |
| so you haven't really noticed much increase in your | | | | reduced running of our air conditioner. If we |
| home electricity bills as your air conditioner has not | | | | continued to save $75 in the next several years our |
| been on that long ... yet. | | | | financial payback would have been 4 years ($300 |
| Have you noticed the change in the price of natural | | | | cost of the exterior solar blinds / $75 reduction in air |
| gas and home heating oil? To say that they have | | | | conditioning costs each year). |
| gone up in the past year would be an | | | | But, what if electricity costs double so our electricity |
| understatement. Take natural gas as an example. | | | | savings each year is no longer $75 but $150 for the |
| Natural gas is used to heat many homes in the | | | | same quantity of electricity used to cool our home? |
| winter. Did you also know that natural gas is also | | | | Then our financial payback on the $300 used to |
| used as the energy source in many electrical power | | | | purchase the exterior solar blinds is no longer 4 years |
| stations which generate much of our electricity? So, | | | | but 2 years ($300 / $150). |
| it stands to reason that if the cost of the input for | | | | What about heating our hot water. Say we use a |
| electricity generation is going up, the owner of such | | | | natural gas hot water tank and in the past few years |
| power stations will pass on their increased costs to | | | | have paid $20 a month, or $240 per year to heat our |
| you and I in the form of higher electricity bills. | | | | water. If it costs $2,400 to purchase and install a |
| How much are we talking about? Well, just turn on | | | | solar water heater, our financial payback would be 10 |
| your television to any of the business news | | | | years ($2,400 / 240). |
| networks and you will see the prices of commodities | | | | However, with natural gas prices more than doubling |
| like oil, home heating oil and natural gas flash across | | | | in the past 12 months, this would change the monthly |
| the screen. Still don't understand? | | | | cost to heat our hot water using a hot water tank |
| How about this; the price for natural gas has more | | | | from $20 to $40 per month, or from $240 to $480 |
| than doubled in the past 12 months from less than $6 | | | | per year. You can see where we are going with this, |
| MMbtu to more than $13 MMbtu (what ever the heck | | | | right? In that situation, and we are in that situation |
| a MMbtu is). Check it out for yourself. If the price of | | | | now, the financial payback to install the same solar |
| natural gas has more than doubled, what do you | | | | water heater is now 5 years ($2,400 / $480). |
| think will be happening to your natural gas or home | | | | The cost of a shade tree planted against a south |
| heating oil bills you receive to heat your home and | | | | facing wall no longer seems as costly. It will provide |
| hot water, even with a natural gas powered tankless | | | | the same shade to our home and reduce the same |
| water heater? | | | | amount of electricity consumption by us not needing |
| You and I cannot control the price of energy we are | | | | to run our air conditioner as much. Yet, the dollar |
| charged to keep our homes cool in the summer or | | | | savings is doubled because the cost of electricity we |
| warm in the winter. We can control, however, how | | | | used in our home is soon to double. You just watch. |
| much electricity, natural gas, home heating oil we | | | | There are many, many inexpensive and east, as well |
| consume. If we don't reduce our consumption of | | | | as not so inexpensive and not so easy things we can |
| these items then it is on us. All the complaining won't | | | | take action on and do to reduce the amount of |
| do any good. | | | | electricity consumed in our home year round as well |
| Want some good news? The cost of goods and | | | | as the amount of natural gas or home heating oil we |
| services to help us reduce the amount of electricity | | | | consume to heat our home in the winter. |
| and natural gas we consume in our home has not | | | | Don't just focus on driving less to save money at the |
| doubled in the past 12 months. The cost of a | | | | gas pump. Focus as well on home energy |
| tankless water heater, of weather stripping, of a | | | | conservation activities too! The financial payback just |
| home energy audit, and so on has not gone up by | | | | became in the past 12 months very, very sweet! |
| the same amount. | | | | To see what home energy conservation activities we |
| Therefore, the actions we take as well as the | | | | have and are continuing to do in our home home, |
| money you and I spend on reducing the amount of | | | | simply visit our blog, Daily Home Renovation Tips, |
| electricity and natural gas and home heating oil our | | | | using the link below. |
| homes we will receive back in greater energy cost | | | | |