Saving Money on Your Bills and Food

Part of our monthly bills that each of us must pay each month are the bills for our energy use. Propane gas, natural gas and or electricity are some fuels that may be used to cool and heat our homes, cook our meals, wash and dry our clothes; run our televisions, computers and other electronic devices. The more energy efficient our homes are, the lower our bills will be. Many foreclosures are due to people who cannot afford their high monthly energy bills due to a very energy inefficient homes. That is one reason why an Austin, Texas non-profit organization called One House at a Time helps low income homeowners homes more energy efficient. The fine folks at One House at a Time may also plant a garden so homeowners may grow some of their own fresh, nutritious food. There's a saying that "there's nothing new under the sun". When Texas was settled, there were many energy efficient and green homes. The German settlers of the 1800's often times built their homes of thick, hand hewn locally quarried stone blocks adding a lot of thermal mass which kept their homes cool in Summer and warm in Winter. Farms and ranches had a windmill to pump water out of the ground and a cistern or tank to store the water in. Pictured above is a decorative windmill and cistern at Silverado Ranch in Cedar Park, Texas. I took the photo to exemplify a part of our Texas past that we must not forget. Raising your own livestock such as cattle, turkeys, chickens, sheep and goats was common on our early Texas homesteads. Home gardens were also commonplace and before the advent of chemicals they were all organic. Crops were rotated and nitrogen fixating legumes such as Dixie cow peas were planted to add nitrogen fertilizer to the soil naturally.

Today's Texas Homes

In our modern Texas there are many homes in existence with no insulation in the walls and insufficient insulation in the attic. Take some steps to make your home more energy efficient. Start with a good energy audit then get some energy improvements made. There are many modern materials that can substantially increase the energy efficiency of your home. I have had an energy audit on my home and now I am getting bids on energy efficiency improvements. I am very impressed with foam insulation. I would love to show you a home with foam insulation so you can see what a difference it makes over bat insulation. Instead of a tremendously hot attic in the hottest of Texas Summers, there will be a wonderful coolness in your attic if foam insulation is used. In fact, your attic will be considered "conditioned space" so your air conditioner and heater does not have to work so hard and use so much energy. When you store things in your attic, they won't melt in the Summer or freeze in the Winter. Landscaping can also be used to help with energy efficiency. Plant deciduous trees that lose their leaves in the winter close enough to your home to shade it in the Summer. In the Winter, when leaves fall, the sun can again shine on your home to add warmth.

I have also eliminated most water wasting lawn grass and added lots of edibles to my small 60' lot in Leander, Texas. I have peaches, loquats, apples, plums, apricots, pomegranites, figs, asparagus, lemon grass, many herbs and more. For Christmas, my husband just bought me a new edition, a wonderful persimmon tree from McIntyre's nursery in Georgetown, Texas. My yard is also a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat. I garden organicly and have native plants and xeriscaping.

Call me, Betty Saenz GREEN REALTOR with Sky Realty at (512) 785-5050 to see or sell green homes in the Austin, Texas area or to learn how to retrofit your existing home to save money on both your utility bills and food. Visit my Green Blog TexasOrganicHome.com