Energy Efficient, Easy On the Wallet

I recently made a car purchase.  If you know me, then you know this is not a decision taken lightly.  I love my cars.  They are like a part of the family.  This being said, the decision to sell and then buy another car is something I can lose sleep over.  Anyway, I purchased a 1983 Mercedes Benz 300D.  That is car talk for, “an old car with a diesel motor”.  While I wasn’t particularly looking for something to put a historical license plate on, I was drawn to this because it had an alternative fuel system in it.  This car can run on diesel, Biodiesel or vegetable oil. With more research I realized that the option of rarely paying for fuel could become a reality.  I never even considered that until the option became available.

Upon this realization, I started thinking about ways to save on other payments that I started taking for granted and naturally looked at housing.  If I don’t have to pay high prices for fuel, do I have to pay high prices for my monthly utility payments?  There is a plethora of things that can help a house reduce high utility payments in the summer here in the valley of the sun.  Multi pane windows, updated air conditioning units, solar power, and additional insulation are just a few things to consider when purchasing or renting your next place.  Amongst other features, this can keep the cool air in, use less energy and make your air conditioner work less to keep you comfortable.  Many utility companies are even offering rebates depending on what kind of upgrades are being done to a residence.  Keep this in mind next time you are looking at housing.  If you make your home work for you then you won’t have to work so hard to pay for the home.