My house was built in the 1950’s.  It is a well-built house, but in the 50’s energy was not an issue as it is today.  I have decided that I need to take inventory to see what can be done to bring it in line with current standards.  The windows, insulation, and appliances are all out of date.  Not only will upgrading my house  be good for the environment, it will also save me money in the long run.  This in an important issue to me because I think it is important that we start using our natural resources more wisely. 

My father was the ultimate conservationalist.  As a child, I remember him telling me to turn out the lights when I left the room and during the day when I wasn’t reading.  Watching the television was kept to a minimum strictly to save on the electric bill.  My siblings and I were not allowed to open the refridgerator and just look inside–open it, get what you need, and close it–no standing there looking in to see what might be good to eat.  During that time, his motivation was to save money not energy.  However, as he grew older and became more aware of environmental issues, he was more determined than ever to conserve energy with the added benefit of saving money. 

I have already started with my efforts to conserve energy by insulating my home.  My next step will be replacing the old windows in my house.    I have received some feeds with conserving energy as the search and found many of them deal with heat loss from windows.  One in particular states that 1/3 of the heat loss in a home is through the windows.   I know this is true of my house because I can feel the cold coming through and no matter how much caulk I put around them it doesn’t seem to stem the tide of cold air.  So with this in mind, I begin calling to get estimates.