Holy Buck, Fatman!

Corey,  a reader from Baltimore Rowhouse,  posed a good question: What is my solution to rising energy costs? Rather than answer in the comments section, I thought it was a decent idea to turn this into a post. I will go on record to say that I do hate whiners and like people who work towards solutions to problems. So, as not to be hypocritical, here goes:

It urns out that my electric bill may be an issue with our meter. After the inital shock of the bill, I thought, “This can’t possibly be right” and gave them a call. BG$E is investigating, but…if the outcome turns out to be the charges I’ve racked up–well, things need to change drastically!

One of the things I did besides moving to an urban area was to have only one small, fuel efficient  car and rely on Mass transportation. neighborhood tasks can be completed via bike.  It’s also a good thing that Mister Fatman and I both work in areas accessible by mass transit.  I mean, Mister Fatman only has to hoof it a few blocks. Bastard. But that is another story….

We also installed a timer thermostat and set it so that our AC/Heat only runs while we are home. (we actually didn’t have AC for the month of June and half the month of July) We changed all light bulbs to energy saving LED’s and saw a dramatic difference by these things alone. What will have to happen next is the sealing of all leaks in the home.

We are embarking on some major renovations that will take care of these things. Since we do NOT consider our home an investment that is only worth improving  to sell to some sucker, we are  taking the steps to make it a home we can live comfortably (monetarily comfort counts, too)  in for a lengthy period of time. Doors/jambs need to be replaced, insulation needs to be placed in some basement areas, floors need to be done, cracks need to be repaired. These little things can improve the energy costs.

In a perfect world, I would love to install some solar panels on my roof. The cost will pretty much pay for itself, but the other things take priority. However, it is a goal to work towards. I would like nothing more than to have BG$E pay ME for pumping energy back into the grid. can you imagine if we all started that?

So, there you have it. That is what the fatman family has done so far. Lets see what happens when all is said and done.