One of my favorite things to do these days is to sit home and wait for my electric bill. Well not really, but you know that anticipation of being able to unwrap that one special box on your birthday? THAT is how I view my electric bill when it comes in and this year has been a banner year for the electric bill. For the first 6 months of 2009 my entire electric bill has been … drum roll please … $117 ($19.50 per month) … in the middle of Phoenix Arizona. OK so I am bragging a little bit, but this is not far off from what you can do at your house…it just takes some time. I have been tracking my electric bills for over 10 years (the nerd in me) and been conscious of my electricity consumption – becoming very efficient in my home space.

My motto is there is no suffering allowed and this is one thing I can’t say enough. So when it gets hot I turn on the cooler or air conditioning and when it gets cold I turn on the heat. Energy efficiency is the first step everyone should make. The next one, if you are so inclined, is to add solar panels to your roof. In this week’s Featured Article I explore the difference between what I call Production vs. Efficiency and the values of both of them.

To learn more, browse The Solar House, which is a fantastic book on passive solar heating and cooking. Ready, Set, Green offers green living solutions that don’t demand a radical overhaul of your life. No suffering allowed, indeed. Just simple steps that make for a happier pocketbook and planet.

Have a great green day!

Technorati Tags: consumption, efficiency, electricity, energy, energy-saving, green living, production, renewable energy, savings, Solar

According to this article in the Hybrid Car Blog, Toyota is “secretly” working on solar powered electric vehicles. To start, the vehicles might only be partially powered by solar power, while offering the ability to fully charge via roof top solar panels. The long term goal, however, is to have the solar cars achieve all of their power from the vehicle’s own solar cells.

Technorati Tags: Prius, Solar