A little over a year ago when I was thinking of ways to save energy, Sarah lent me a meter that tracks electrical usage for appliances. I used it on my refrigerator and was amazed by the results. My 25+ year-old fridge was sucking up prodigious amounts of electricity. Deciding to buy a new refrigerator was one of those moments where I thought about short-term costs vs. long-term gain, but I did the right thing and bought a new Energy Star rated unit for a little over $500 and began monitoring my electric bill.
One year into the experiment and the results are in. In the last year I have cut my energy usage by 15%, saving me some $90 in electrical costs this last year! The other week I retired my freezer down in the basement, and so it’ll be interesting to see the savings that brings.
And while we’re speaking of electricity, Detroit Edison now offers its customers the ability to get all our electricity from green sources. The Green Currents plan lets you choose to get some or all of your energy from renewable sources. I signed up the other month for the program and it ends up costing an extra $7.50 for the fully monty.
Green Energy sources and new fridges are small changes I’m making, and while they might not seem like much, it at least makes me feel like I’m on the right path.