How Eight Homeowners Save Over $12,275 on Energy

By: Joseph D'Agnese, This Old House magazine (Page 11 of 11)

a pellet stove helped this couple save almost 75 percent on their heating bill

Photo: Anthony Tieuli

Brent Bussey and Jessica Gervais discovered the power of pellets—and watched their fuel bills drop almost 75 percent.

Julie Tung and her partner Ed Schwartz installed heat pumps in their home to save $2,200

Ed Schwartz and Julie Tung of Ridgewood, New Jersey installed heat pumps to save $2,200 on oil heat.

solar panels on the roof helped this couple save $2,000 per year in electricity

Photo: Thayer Allyson Gowdy

Tom Hammer and Sueling Cho installed 24 solar panels and saw their electricity costs fall by $2,000 a year.

bob alcock and tim wheeler switched to solar hot water to save on heat and hot water

Bob Alcock and Tim Wheeler of Lost River, West Virginia, switched to solar hot water to save $1,500 on propane heat and hot water.

nellie aranowski put up window awnings to shield from both hot and cold weather

David and Nellie Aranowski of South Bend, Indiana put up window awnings to save $90

tube skylights help brighten the house with daylight instead of electricity

Photo: Joe Schmelzer

Justin and Kristin Gonzalez, shown with daughter Riley, pipe in daylight with tubular skylights to reduce their electricity bill.

denim batts will help the pearson's save money on heat

Bryant and Stephanie Pearson of Portland, Oregon, added denim batts to save $300 on gas heat.

the heat pump sits on top an existing water heater and uses the air temp to conserve energy

Photo: Wyatt McSpaden

Jim and Rachel King, with kids Jimmy and Ally, retrofitted their water tanks with a heat-pump device and stopped paying for propane.

geothermal heat pumps help cool in the summer and heat in the winter

David and Jen Schlegel of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania went with a geothermal heat pump to save $1,525

a whole-house fan helps cool the house by bring cooler air up through the house while drawing warm air out upper windows or roof vents

Dwight and Shannon Okahara, of Santa Clarita, California hooked up a whole-house fan to save $500

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How to Use Trees to Save Energy

In this how-to video, This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook and host Kevin O'Connor share tips for cutting energy costs with strategic tree planting

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What You'll Learn:

To Save Energy, Go Online

Okay, your computer burns some energy, but it turns out to be darn handy for researching how to slash your power bills. At This Old House, we rely on sites such as these that feature interactive tools to help us figure out where we're being wasteful—and how to make changes that add up to savings.

For All-Around Know-how
Energy Star
Among many useful features on this EPA and Department of Energy site is a tool called ENERGYSTAR@home, an interactive graphic that guides you on changes room by room.

For Auditing Yourself
Home Energy Saver
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's energy calculator prompts you to fill out a questionnaire about your house, then churns out a detailed profile of your energy use and tips on reducing it.

For Remodeling Advice
Energy Efficient Rehab Advisor
Enter info about your renovation plans into the rehab advisor and get back suggestions on making your project more energy-efficient, with estimated costs and payback period.

For Decoding Your Power Bill
Consumer Power Inc.
A calculator on this website helps you break down your energy bill appliance by appliance so that you can pinpoint and correct problem areas—maybe it's time to get rid of that second fridge, after all.