Watts in your wallet?

During the fall political campaign, energy policy was on the lips of just about every candidate for national office. Everyone seems to agree that we need a better one in the United States. While the politicians hammer out the details, I thought I'd share some of my recent activities on a personal level. I'd like to think these will make a positive contribution by reducing the energy I consume on a day-to-day basis:

• The biggest change I've made was making the decision about where to move (within the Houston area). Proximity to workplace was at the top of my must-have list. Frankly, I don't really enjoy commuting around Houston. Saving money is a nice bonus and the results here are already quite tangible. My formerly twice-weekly visits to the gas pump have been cut in half and I've hardly used my EZ TAG. That's about a hundred fewer dollars per month that isn't going to the pockets of the oil companies or the Harris County Toll Road Authority.
• The "competition" in electric providers in Houston has been an utter failure in bringing lower costs to consumers. When I established electric service here last month, though, I did attempt to vote with my wallet by choosing a plan with a provider that would pledge to use the money to generate power with "clean" sources like wind. The price-per-kilowatt is somewhat higher than the lowest rates available, and the benefits aren't directly tangible, so I think this might be more of a hopeful decision than anything.
• I have LCD televisions, which consume less electricity while operating than old-school CRTs. But I couldn't help but notice that they feel warm even when "off." This is due to the fact that they aren't really off but in standby, waiting for a remote signal to light up. Many devices consume electricity even when they're in standby and not performing a useful function. I needed a couple of new surge protectors anyway, so I went with Belkin "Conserve" which makes it really easy to truly switch off power from a distance.
• I needed a clothes washer, and opted for a more efficient front-loader. Moneywise this is an iffy proposition, as the price delta over the more familiar top-loader is pretty big and won't be narrowed for years.
• I installed compact fluorescent bulbs. When I moved in, the "Hollywood" fixture in the bathroom was loaded with 60-watt incandescent bulbs. A four-pack of 9-watt bulbs -- which have equivalent output to 40-watt incandescents -- are about six dollars at The Home Depot. My rough math suggests that these will pay for themselves in about a year.

Happy holidays to all and I'll close this post by mentioning that my Christmas tree is illuminated with LEDs. Once again, this is probably a decision that won't see a "payback" for years, but at least the investment has been made.

Now I'd like to see the adjustments in my energy demand get met on the other side with adjustments in the energy supply. We've been waiting for fundamental changes in this area since the first crisis with OPEC in the 1970s, however, so I'm certainly not holding my breath on this.