It seems that people are learning to be more energy smart gradually. Conserving energy in our homes and driving is very worthwhile.  Crude oil prices could go back to their peak in no time if demand exceeds supply.

My vehicle is a large Yukon, which is great for hauling things.  Mileage is not so good, but I’ve cut back to making three trips to the office weekly whenever possible. The fuel budget has been helped by that strategy.  If it weren’t for the load-carrying capacity I would look for a more fuel-efficient, smaller automobile.

Several years ago we put in extra insulation in our home, and we use a whole house fan to reduce the amount of air conditioning we use.  Energy talk on the news and in magazines slowly does have some influence on how we think and act.

Imagine the wasteful expenditure of energy in fighting a wildfire, with Diesel for fuel-guzzling choppers, planes and trucks.  Even the evacuation of thousands of families is an unfortunate waste of gasoline.  There is some related discussion of this on the Minutemanfire website, which includes wildfire prevention in its sphere of interest.  Even when fire buffers had been created, homes with tile roofs have been destroyed in fires, surprisingly.

Rebuilding a fire-damaged home likewise utilizes energy that would otherwise be saved, a further link between fires and energy usage.  We may not think about it much, but in fact there is a connection between fire prevention and conserving energy.

Filed under: wealth