Insulating the water heater is definitely a good and very simple step, but don’t stop there. You can buy these foam tubes that insulate your exposed hot water pipes. I insulated our tank and pipes, and our water got noticeably hotter, so I was able to turn the thermostat down even more. (Think about your hot water pipes–long, copper tubes that carry hot liquid–they’re nothing but a long, stretched out radiator.)

People adjust very quickly to flipping the switch on a power strip, and the savings add up. Also, don’t forget that the savings go beyond CO2. You’re putting less of other pollutants into the air, and also consuming less water to cool thermoelectric plants. That last one is astonishingly large–cooling power plants accounts for about the same water withdrawal in the US as agriculture.

My wife thinks I’m crazy from running around like a mad man unplugging things every night, and unplugging mine and her cell-phone chargers when I leave 3 hours before her in the morning.

The glowing lights do add up. We have saved an average of about $40-50 / month by simply unplugging.

We unplug those energy vampires when we’re not using them. We use a toaster oven often, instead of the big oven. We wrapped our hot water heater in insulation (we’re saving for a new tankless one). The new tv is LCD, and the fridge is the highest energy efficient available on the market. We’ve gone completely CFL. Our one luxury is the hot tub (I have fibromyalgia and the hot tub is better than any medication) – but we lowered the temp and reduced the cycling/filtering time. We blew a thick layer of loose insulation into our attic. We also moved 1 hr north of Portland to a smaller town, and downsized into a small, one level 900 sq foot home that has fantastic energy efficient windows. We LOVE living in a small home! Altogether, our efforts and changes have reduced our monthly electric use by 40%. And this county only uses 2% of coal for its energy!

We also conserve water – I keep a gallon jug at the sink and catch every drop of cold water as I wait for the warm. I capture at least 1-1.5 gallons every day, great for the dog bowl, my many plants, and I dump excess into my rainbarrels. We have 4 rain barrels that we use for our large organic veggie garden ( we donate fresh produce to the local foodbank, and we garden-share with our neighbors – sharing labor and the fruits of it).

I also telecommute, so I often do not have to drive for days at a time. Hubby purchased on old, small ‘78 Toyata pick up that gets incredible gas mileage, and he keeps it purring like a kitten. When convenient & the weather cooperates, we ride our bikes instead of drive.

There are SO many things one can do to reduce one’s carbon footprint, and to conserve, and to reduce monthly financial output. I’m hopeful that the green revolution will now greatly expand beyond the progressive PNW. I feel very optimistic about it!

LOVE your blog, btw, though you are so much more enlightened than I. Keep it up & keep enjoying life, you are an inspiration!

xo