The Three "R's", the missing "R".

(The mess under my desk.)

The other day I was on mynorth.com and I came across a discussion board that I have been following. They were talking about how you need to reduce your power usage to make a renewable system to work really well for you and to make the cost go down.

So often I talk to people that are interested in renewable energy for their homes. The first thing they want to do with this system is add a bunch of additional electric loads. Well by doing that you have just put yourself right back where you were before you installed the system.

People want to do the right thing like recycling and reusing, but no one ever wants to do the other part of the three "R's", the reduce part. We all want the same lifestyle that we have become accustomed to with out giving up any of the luxuries. I am just as guilty of this myself. But I am trying to do my part to reduce a little at a time. It has been surprising how by doing the little things, I have found that I really don't miss some of these things or I have become accustom to the things that have changed. For example, the CFLs in the garage, which when it is cold they take a little longer than regular incandescent light bulbs. But once they warm up and get to full strength they are much brighter then the others and use less power.

Well, I am in the process of installing solar panels in the next few years here at my house. But before I do that I need to get my energy usage under control, before I install the solar panel system. So what I have been doing is trying to do all the little things first, like installing CFLs in all the light fixtures and installing Smart Strips where I can. I just installed two Smart Strips in my home one under my desk to shut down the things that I don't need on all the time, that are just sucking up energy and not doing anything. The other I installed on our TV, shutting down the Wii and DVD player that was just sitting there on standby when no one was watching them. Now when all the control devices shut down, the rest of the stuff will go off. Saving us money throughout the year.

The other thing that we did was install new windows and insulated window blinds in the house. Which made a huge difference in the gas bill.

The next thing I am having done is I am bringing in an energy auditor to take a look at the envelope of the house to see where we can trim even more energy by insulating. Which once I receive the report I will post the results here.

But as you can see I am trying to do all I can to reduce the amount of energy that we use. This way when I get ready to install the solar system I will not have to install a larger system. Which in the end it will save me money both on energy and panels.

When people buy a system from me from now whether it be solar or wind, I include a home energy audit with every purchase. I believe once you install a renewable energy system you should maximize it as much as possible. It will also help you to reduce the amount of money that you pay for energy even more. I am all about energy conservation. If we all conserve energy, the more we all win.