TGKWC – First Steps

A big thanks to Farmer_Liz and Kane for pointing me in the right direction regarding the not-so-pretty spreadsheet. I have fixed all of the issues, and the calc sheet now works very cleanly. Nothing like a good IF statement to fix ones messiness. You can download the new spreadsheet from the original link if you would like to use a cleaner version.

Now that we have our baseline couple of days of electricity consumption for our homes, may I offer the first steps towards a lower electricity bill.  First thing first always works.

1. Have a family meeting! It sounds corny, but it works.  Encourage all family members to join the challenge.  If you have buy in from everyone in the household, you are more likely to succeed.
2. Set some energy targets for the each week of the challenge that you believe is achievable.  For instance. 5% reduction in the first week, 10% for week two, 15% by week three etc.  The choice is yours.  Try to make your goals realistic, and get buy in from everyone that way you are more likely to continue the behaviours after the challenge is complete.  Write your goals down and put them on the fridge for all to see!
3. Make it a competition, give rewards to little ones for remembering to do as instructed, and the big ones too.  Give encouragement and praise as behaviours are bedded in.
4. Take the time to explain to everyone why we are practising energy efficiency.  Let them know what is at stake.  Whether it be savings in the family budget, or reducing your emissions, your motivation for participating in the challenge should be shared with everyone in the household.

These steps are vital to achieving the goals that you will set yourself.  Once you have commitment within the household, try to begin to make small changes at first and continue to monitor to see the effect on consumption each day.

Share the daily results at the evening meal, check to see if you are going to meet your target for the week.  A problem shared is a problem halved.  You may find that it helps to share the pain and bring others along for the ride.

Praise, reward, and have fun as you go along.  If your not having fun, you are not doing it right!

More tips tomorrow.