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jamest · 09-10-08, 10:50 AM

I'm James, I live just outside of Phoenix Arizona in the scorching hot desert. My wife and I bought a brand new house 4 years ago, back when we weren't really thinking about energy efficiency or anything. Luckily we were smart enough or poor enough to buy a small house around 1200 sq ft. Also the majority of our windows are on the north side of the house so they are always shaded except for really late afternoons and early mornings during the longest days of summer. We covered the rest of the windows that get direct sunlight with sun screens and have blinds on all the windows.
Things I wish we had done when we bought the house is upgrade the insulation and move to a area served by a power company that does net metering and solar incentives. We live in just about the only town in Arizona that doesn't have access to solar incentives through their power company. The good thing is that it should be coming in the next couple years, so hopefully we can get our solar power on.
We're always looking for more ways to save on energy, we've never gone over $200 during the hottest parts of summer. It isn't uncommon for bills to jump up to $300 - $400 in these parts. Will be here looking for more ideas on being more efficient.

09-10-08, 10:50 AM	#1
jamest Lurking Renovator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Maricopa, AZ Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hi, James from Arizona here. I'm James, I live just outside of Phoenix Arizona in the scorching hot desert. My wife and I bought a brand new house 4 years ago, back when we weren't really thinking about energy efficiency or anything. Luckily we were smart enough or poor enough to buy a small house around 1200 sq ft. Also the majority of our windows are on the north side of the house so they are always shaded except for really late afternoons and early mornings during the longest days of summer. We covered the rest of the windows that get direct sunlight with sun screens and have blinds on all the windows. Things I wish we had done when we bought the house is upgrade the insulation and move to a area served by a power company that does net metering and solar incentives. We live in just about the only town in Arizona that doesn't have access to solar incentives through their power company. The good thing is that it should be coming in the next couple years, so hopefully we can get our solar power on. We're always looking for more ways to save on energy, we've never gone over $200 during the hottest parts of summer. It isn't uncommon for bills to jump up to $300 - $400 in these parts. Will be here looking for more ideas on being more efficient.