Paring Power at Home – Read it in Today’s DMN

Setting up a duct blaster test, from the Dallas Morning News.

In today’s DMN I have a story about tips for reducing energy usage.  I visited three homes of different ages with efficiency experts from three different companies.  The point was to find out what energy issues might be common to homes of particular ages.

After doing all this, my conclusion is that every house is different, and that anything related to the A/C is most important when figuring out how to reduce energy.  That, and change your light bulbs to energy efficient ones.

The paper version has some additional tables and graphics, and the front page (yes, of the entire paper) has a blurb at the top, so pick one up.

Read my green development story in today’s Dallas Morning News

From the Dallas Morning News.

Check out the story I wrote for today’s Dallas Morning News Home section. It’s about a conservation development east of Dallas. The Woodson family turned their farm into an eco-friendly development.

Home Power Pie: Focus on Where You Use the Most

If you’re interested in reducing your electrical consumption, you’ll save more by making changes where they count most. A high efficiency, Energy Star-rated DVD player is great, but it won’t cut your bill the same way a super cool new fridge will.

To illustrate this point further, I’ve put together what I’m calling the “Home Power Pie,” which shows the approximate proportional breakdown of electricity on an average home’s monthly bill.

Every home is different, and there are a lot of assumptions above, but it illustrates a few things like…

1. importance of all things related to cooling air (e.g. fans, insulation, thermostat, air leaks);
2. the true cost of having an old inefficient beer fridge in your garage;
3. the effect that using less hot water could have on your bill.