I found an article that was printed in a Houston newspaper that claims our buildings account for two-fifths of America's energy consumption and generate a third of its carbon dioxide emissions. We as individuals cannot do much to make our cars more efficient, altho we can use them less by planning our trips more carefully. But there are things we can do to our homes that are not all that costly and will help.

Question is:

What have we, as members of this forum, done, or plan to do, in the very near future, to reduce the energy consumption in our homes?

and to make it more of a debate,

Should their be tax credits/deductions incentives, or are should we as intelligent people be doing it without monetary incentives from Uncle Sam?

What have we, as members of this forum, done, or plan to do, in the very near future, to reduce the energy consumption in our homes?

I use fluorescent bulbs almost everywhere saving about 2/3rds of the electricity I would use for incandescent lighting. I have also added insulation to my actic and would like to do the same to my walls but there are structural issues. I repair weather stripping and chalk windows and doors every fall. When shoping for new appliances I try to buy the most efficient one available. We are in the process of adding energy saving window coverings to a couple of large windows. This is far too little for the situation we face but we plan to move to a small survival farm shortly and investing more is not cost effect on an individual level.

Should their be tax credits/deductions incentives, or are should we as intelligent people be doing it without monetary incentives from Uncle Sam?

Definitely, partly to identify the importance of saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to correct the imperfect market that exists for these kinds of efforts. The society benifits immensely if a large proportion of people reduce their energy use and emissions while the average individual only benefits marginally from energy savings investments because he or she is likely to move within 3 years.

What have we, as members of this forum, done, or plan to do, in the very near future, to reduce the energy consumption in our homes?

I've replaced all regular light bulbs with the new, compact fluorescent ones. I always buy energy-efficient appliances...well, except for the antique O'Keefe & Merritt stove I just had to have. I just bought my first home (yay!), and I'm looking into replacing the water heater with the new tankless variety (BIG savings on natural gas there!). There isn't a speck of insulation in the attic crawlspace, so that's one of the first big jobs I have to consider after I get through stomping out all the little nitnoy problems associated with buying a house. It's so $@!# hot right now I wish I could have it done right away!

I never leave lights on all over the house, I do laundry on off hours, use water-saver shower heads, only water in the early morning or evenings. There are so many things one can do to conserve.

Should their be tax credits/deductions incentives, or are should we as intelligent people be doing it without monetary incentives from Uncle Sam?

I think money incentives would encourage more people to conserve, and certainly it would make them more aware of how they can conserve. Southern California Edison already offers residential customers money to turn in old appliances, install energy-efficient appliances, etc. You can see their programs here. (There are some I didn't know about. Gonna have to look into those...)

Anything that makes people more aware of how conservation doesn't have to "hurt" and how it can help is a good thing. Of course, there will always be those folks with the philosophy of "as long as it's there, I'm going to use as much as I can."

I'll answer the last question first: NO monetary incentives. If such measures aren't their own reward, there shouldn't be any other.

I personally have begun using the compact fluorescent lightbulbs already mentioned instead of the plain ones. I use washable canvas tote bags at the store and recycle the few paper and plastic grocery bags I get -- the paper ones I use to line my cats' litterboxes; the plastic ones line wastebaskets.

I have stopped driving over 55 MPH since gas went over $2 per gallon. I live in a city neighborhood so I don't have a long commute and I drive a car, not a fuel-hog SUV.

I follow a diet that is simpler than the usual Western one -- far less meat and far more fruits and vegetables. I recycle paper, plastic, and cans at home and at work, as do my coworkers.

I don't own my own laundry appliances, but share with neighbors. I wash part of my laundry by hand and dry on racks. I don't own a dishwasher since I live alone -- I wash dishes by hand.

I live simply, in an apartment rather than a house which would take up a lot more space and energy. Luckily for me, I prefer apartment living. I don't use credit cards. I shop in thrift stores whenever possible, and give what I don't need to charity or friends' children who are just starting out in their first apartments. Having been raised by Depression-era parents, I'm quite familiar with the 'use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without' credo.

Where I live in Northern California, the daytime high temps in July and August range from 90 - 110 degrees. When I get home from work, it is always 85 - 95 degrees inside the house, and it doesn't cool down until 2 am. A large fan and frequent cold showers have been my only respite. Sleep is fitful at best. It has been almost unbearable, but for the last 15 years, I have resisted the urge to buy an air conditioner.

However, during the last 8 weeks of this July and August (2005), we have had an unwavering heat wave where every single day reached 100 degrees. We didn't have any days at 110 like we normally do, but neither did we have any days at 90.

I don't know if this is scientific or not but let me tell you what I've noticed. The rise in temperature from 80 to 90 degrees is really no big deal. But the difference between 90 and 100 is HUGE! I wonder if 98.6 (human body temp) is the magic number?

Anyway, I don't know how much energy I did not consume over the last 15 years by not using an air conditioner, but before next summer, I am going to buy a great big air conditioner and set it for 75 degrees.

Next March, we will start our retirement home. It will have a basement, and the basement walls will be insulated on the outside only. Whatever temperature is at 6 ft. underground will spread to the walls by "wicking". With proper ventilation, it will be dry and cool. There will be no air conditioning, I am depending on that cool concrete to cool the upstairs just by circulating the air to the upstairs. Backup will be an evap cooler.
Going to use SIP's for the shell, which has an R factor or about 25 for the walls while being only 4.5" thick. A little extra foam on the outside of that, under the fiber-cement siding will add more to the R value.
Will use a combination of flourescent and LED lighting, and a central sun space that will also help heat the house.
Low-e dual pane windows will help keep the heat in without reducing solar gain much. Energy Star gas furnace and solar augmented water heating will keep those bills down. Thinking about a gray water system as well, using shower and washing machine water to keep my lawn green.

Testing the house to get the Energy Star rating is required to get any tax breaks, or utility company rebates, but the cost of the testing pretty much takes all that back. So I probably won't even apply for the funds.

I am doing it because I am convinced that the energy worm has finally turned and we will be paying a lot more for our electricity, gas, water, etc. from now on.

You pretty much have it right, argonaut, about body temperature vs. air temperature. As long as the air temp. is around 80 or less, it ain't bad, as long as the humidity stays within reason. It has been well over 100 here in Phoenix for a long time now. I am getting very tired of it. I would try the cold shower bit, but the pipes around here are buried too shallow, and the cold water comes in already warm.

In our household, we do much of the easy stuff that has already been mentioned. Compact fluorescent light bulbs, ceiling fans to reduce air conditioning in the summer, a natural gas fireplace to reduce heating in the winter, and so on. (Fortunately I live in a part of the world without extreme weather conditions.)

We also signed up for a thing called "Green Power" with our local supplier of electricity. This costs more money, but makes use of renewable resources. Here's an overview of this project, written so kids can understand it. (I can appreciate this when it comes to technical stuff.)

Link

I don't see why tax breaks could not be offered to people who pay for things that make their houses more energy-efficient. When possible, it's always good to offer people a carrot instead of a stick.

Interestingly, the Green Party over here thought up this infamous eco-tax, taxing all consumed energy. Result is a much higher price for gasoline, gas and electricity. Simultaneously it became very lucrative to stop consuming energy and using energy-efficient applications.
In a perfect world that extra money should be invested into the construction of more renewable energy power plants, but here it is used to pay pensions.

In my apartment I signed up for renewable energy as well. It's a little bit more expansive, but I gladly pay that extra sum while I know that I don't contribute to the climate change. So I pay about 65 $ a month for electricity that three people consume on 900 ft². I use energy-saving bulbs, an eco-fridge and an eco-washing machine. I don't have a air-conditioner or a fancy PC, nor a TV, so there's little room to save even more.