In the optimistic 1950s, we were assured of a brighter future. We dreamed of all-electric houses as the epitomy of civilization.
Skip forward 60 years and the prospect of a mostly electric home is a nightmare for me.
Our Lick Skillet house, thankfully, has a propane furnace. But everything else is electric. The stove, the water heater, hook-up for the dryer. And the electric rate is half again as much as in New York!
We're taking our new, small refrigerator and will retire the old, large one that comes with the house. The pressure tank for the well is tiny so the pump runs more than it should; replacing that will be our first plumbing project. The dryer hook-up will remain unhooked for now, a clothesline will suit us fine. The central air conditioning needs work so we won't be running that for awhile and we have already started replacing all bulbs with cfls. We routinely turn off lights and unplug appliances, follow all of the standard energy saving advice.
But, please sir, I want some more.
More ideas for reducing those kilowatt hours. Some different perspectives could really help here. What are your best, easiest, fastest, most effective ways to use less power?
