This doesn’t really need to be costly in my opinion. I am just stunned that most of us aren’t taking dramatic steps to try it out. I am living in a country were electricity cost is very high and these surely made it economically possible for me. Make some changes into your home and here’s how: 1) Switch to LED (TV, anything) 2) Reap the benefits of daylight (ceiling window, skylight, etc) 3) Add some herbal plants into your home (you’ll never know when you’ll need them in your cooking, personal use, etc) 4) Attach low flow showerheads 5) Invest on solar gadgets (No I’m not referring to the expensive ones. They come in handy these days as a charger, light bulbs, etc) 6) If you have the buck, switch to Inverters (Aircon, Refrigerator, Washer, etc) 7) Switch to Induction cooker 8) As always, turn off lights and plug off switches when needed. Those are just my list. What’s yours? [Alwin] [olandskahus.se]

These are actually very helpful tips and its very true that we people don't look over it seriously.

Well, since this is a green building site, with a lot of discussion about building new homes, people could start out by designing and building a reasonable sized home. I think many Americans would be surprised at what the average house size is in other parts of the world, as well as what they used to be here. For example, my retired BIL 'downsized' to a 3500 square foot home, built to older standards such as 2X4 R-13 walls. That's great if you can afford it, but is it really responsible? I also find it ironic that the most liberal, tree-hugging, save-the-planet people I know tend to live in huge old houses in northern climates with oil usage that would make a Saudi price blush. But they drive a Prius, so it's OK.

If you have an existing house- close off the rooms you aren't using. Use a clothesline. Plant trees to block solar gain in the summer. Turn down the heat and put on a sweater. Turn down (up) the A/C and run a ceiling fan. Believe it or not, the house doesn't have to be exactly 72 F. year-round. Buy a Kill-O-Watt device, and start tracking where you're wasting electricity.

I wish I could claim that I'm trying to save the planet, but the truth is mostly that I'm very frugal, and trying to retire without a huge bank account. We built a very energy efficient ICF house with lots of study put into site orientation. Lighting is 95% LED. We did spend more up-front, offset by building the house ourselves, but in my 60+ years, Ive never lived in such a strong, quiet, comfortable home, and the tiny power bills are a bonus.

You have to like a guy like that.

We are designing a lot of HVAC/plumbing systems for people who want to be comfortable in their retirement. It isn't easy finding a builder to do it your way in some areas, but around here we have many SIP and even a few ICF homes in any size you want.