Earlier this week I blogged about my dread of upcoming summer power bills. That’s usually about the extent of my familiarity with my energy bills’ fluctuations — obvious seasonal knowledge. Natural gas goes up in the winter; electricity goes up in the summer. Smaller changes — like those resulting from added CFLs or a strict new policy on vampire power — are less obvious. But when you’re trying to save money, it helps to find out where it’s going in the first place.

Keeping track of your energy costs lets you start to see patterns in your power and gas use. More importantly, if you’ve lived in the same place for a while, it allows you to take note of gradual changes. Bills that creep up over time might indicate the need for new insulation, a more efficient water heater or a patch on the roof. Dips in price let you know your efforts to take shorter showers or always turn off the lights are actually working. Even better, they’re tangible proof that your energy-efficient investments like double-hung windows or, hey, even blinds are actually paying off.

Keeping track of energy costs is the less complicated kin of strict “carbon diets,” those dedicated attempts to lower household carbon emissions that extend the diet metaphor to a near-uncomfortable level. You don’t have to “weigh in” or “count calories” (aka carbon emissions). You just look at your bills, your therms or your checkbook.

More or the home page:
5 Ways to Greenify Your Home
How Home Energy Audits Work
How to Save Money on Home Energy

See the rest of the series here:
5 Ways to Cut Energy Costs – No. 5: Put a Stake in Vampire Power
5 Ways to Cut Energy Costs – No. 4: Drive Less
5 Ways to Cut Energy Costs – No. 2: Switch to Energy-efficient Appliances
5 Ways to Cut Energy Costs – No. 1: Do a Home Energy Audit