Doin' it in the Dark

What do you do in the dark? Apparently in my household, we don't do enough. We do everything under the bask of light bulbs. We even light up when we're not at home. There is something so aggravating about coming home at night with the entire family in tow, and seeing multiple rooms lit up from a distance.

We recently received our "Personal Energy Report" from our electric company. This personal summary of our usage is of great interest to me. It compares 2009's usage to 2010's. It has our daily, monthly, and yearly averages. Why does all of this information excite me? The graphs, totals, comparisons... It sheds a little light (ha ha) on our monthly electric bill.

This little piece of information has also helped us to illustrate a point we've been trying to make with our children about energy consumption. As we were finishing up dinner, I got out our report. The conversation started with me asking the girls how we use electricity in our home. While having this talk, the television was on in another (empty) room. See! We need to learn and change!

The girls thought the report and its graphs were just as interesting as I did. They immediately were on board to reduce our family's energy consumption. I've been walking (stumbling) around in the dark for nearly three days now. They even tell on each other for leaving lights on. I haven't been reprimanded yet. I know it's coming though.

Looking at the report's findings feels like we've been issued a challenge. We used more energy every single month of 2010 (up 21%!) than we did the previous year. The report even has average monthly temperatures. Oh, the excitement must stop! Our most expensive month was August at a whopping price of $172.32 ($5.46 per day). August was also the hottest month of the year with an average temperature of 84 degrees compared to 79 degrees the year before.

I realize that lighting up our home is just one of the many things we use electricity for. We are blessed to live in a house with many windows which helps with natural light. All of those windows also increase heating and cooling loss. Like I said, it's a challenge and one we as a family are taking on. I'm hoping our 2011 energy report will beat the past two year's reports. The girls know that last year we spent an average of $2.52 a day on energy. That is a concrete number that they can make sense of.

We buy Energy Star appliances and compact fluorescent light bulbs. I would really like to buy some smart strips as well. I need to investigate what electronics suck up energy when they are plugged in and not in use. I also think we need to find a home in the country with a spring on the property so that we can have a spring house. We could eliminate a refrigerator just like that (snap!).

For a long time now, I've had this crazy dream of really going for it-living on a large piece of secluded land that we could cultivate and would sustain us as a family. Spring house, garden, orchard, root cellar, hunting, canning...really old fashioned living. That's what I crave. Not that I would totally shun all things modern. Life without a dishwasher is just a little more than I can bare.

*I can't speak of energy at this time without acknowledging the devastation that continues to unfold in Japan. An earthquake and tsunami have left that country in turmoil. Entire villages lost, not enough body bags for the dead... it is hard to imagine this is really happening. To compound the loss is the day-to-day struggle to control the damaged nuclear reactors. They are dealing with tragedy and trying to prevent more at the same time. Much love and prayers to our friends in Japan and those who are traveling there to help and assist in this situation. I think I may encourage a weekend family fast in recognition of their struggles. I believe in the power of prayer and fasting. I want my girls to grow up recognizing and understanding the importance of these spiritual tools. Learning through such an unfathomable disaster is one of the goods that can come out of this. Looking for any sign of good and positive will give us all hope to move forward to the days ahead.

**Instead of a weekend fast, I think it would have been more wise for a day long fast. Also, both of the girls spent the night and the entire next day with their grandparents, so Eric and I weren't around to encourage and remind them of the fast. Ava gave up beating up boys. Audrey gave up sweets. Next time, we'll be better prepared.