Almost three years ago, my wife and I began designing our current home.  As we started the process, energy prices started rising.  I started researching ways to build our home in a way that would lower our energy bills.  I became frustrated because the articles I read seemed to talk about methods that were too expensive or “over the top” for my wife and I.  There are people out there who have constructed homes that are ultra-low energy users.  However, many of them did so at a hefty price.  My budget wouldn’t allow me to implement many solutions where the payback would be decades in the making.  Also, some solutions (underground house, anyone?) wouldn’t work in my suburban neighborhood setting.

As we researched options for our home, we found that by merely making smart choices and shopping around, we could implement some tremendous energy-saving components to our home without adding much to the overall cost of the home.

The results:  We’ve been living in our new home since July 2007.  Our energy bills are approximately 40% of comparable homes in our area.  

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing the specific methods we used and the results.  I’ll also share our problems, pitfalls, and regrets.

Photo credit:  Tim Morgan