It is hard to believe that a little over a year ago we signed up for the Riot for Austerity. Exactly one year ago we began tracking every conceivable number for our household energy usage. We have learned so much, made so many changes, and tried so many new things that I have lost count. I hope to post a few reviews of the steps we took to achieve our reduction.
Here is a brief summary of each category.
Gasoline: The average American household of four uses 2000 gallons of gasoline a year. CK and MA used 400 gallons in their commute to work–20% . MA used an additional 200 gallons (that wasn’t counted in the monthly averages) to get home from work — 10%. The household used 100 gallons this year for errands — 5%.
That puts us at 35% of the yearly American average.
We’ve implemented all sorts of gas saving measures, but this is as low as we can go with 2 men working. MA bought a Nissan that we’ll be fixing up. That will save 1/3 of the gas needed to get him home from work. So that will bring him to 6%.
Our errands are being reduced to one day a month beginning this June 1. CK will pick up miscellaneous needs on his way home from work. HM and I will get our coop pick-up and groceries on the same day from now on. That will save 1/2 of our gas and bring us to roughly 2.5%. If we are able to find a more local church (like in bike riding distance) that will lower our family gas usage to 3% (assuming we still drive on rainy Sundays).
Electricity: The average American household uses 11,000 kwh PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR, or about 900 kwh PER HOUSEHOLD PER MONTH. We started the year using 600 kwh/month for an average of 67%.
Our usage has steadily declined and we signed up for a green energy source. A combination of those factors has lowered our electricity usage to between 6% and 15%. That number fluctuates with things like brooding chickens, running the dehydrator, and canning. It doesn’t change much with the seasons. We ran our AC and furnace very little in the past year (maybe 2 weeks total) and are committed to continuing those practices.
We bought a breed of chickens that should incubate their own eggs –thus eliminating the major cause of our higher usage. When the brooder lamp was running our usage shot up from 6% to 15% and held steady the entire 8 weeks the chicks needed extra heat.
Heating and Cooking: The average American Natural Gas usage is 1000 therms PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR. A 90% reduction would mean a reduction to 100 therms PER HOUSEHOLD PER YEAR.
We heat with carbon neutral wood. It is all standing dead, fallen dead, or waste wood. I had planned on switching to propane for our cooking. We tried it for several months but found that the difference in our electric usage was minimal. So we quit using the camp stove and returned to the electric range and oven.
We used a total of 3 therms of propane in the last year — 3%.
Garbage: The average American generates about 4.5 lbs of garbage PER PERSON, PER DAY.
A 90% reduction would mean .45 lbs of garbage PER PERSON, PER DAY
Our garbage has been holding steady at one pound per day for the entire household–5%. We just don’t buy much that comes in packaging. We compost all of our paper (or use it for fire starters). Most of our garbage is composed of thin plastic wrap that comes in the mail or on certain items from the grocery. We just located a source of milk that will come in glass canning jars. So there goes the last of the yogurt containers and cheese wrappers!
Water: The Average American uses 100 Gallons of water PER PERSON, PER DAY. A 90% reduction would mean 10 gallons PER PERSON, PER DAY.
We started this category using 250 gallons per day–50%. This was our major area of weakness. We have done all sorts of things to get this number lower. Our ending numbers are 50 gallons per day–10%. That is about right for our family. We use about 45 gallons per day in the house. The outdoor livestock are getting another 5 gallons a day. However since the completion of the chicken coop and bunny barn roof the livestock will be drinking free rainwater. Very nice!
When we get a better collection system in place we’ll be able to lower the the household dependency on municipal water to less than 10% with the goal being in a few years to be totally on rain water collection for our household usage.
Consumer Goods. The average American spends 10K PER HOUSEHOLD, PER YEAR on consumer goods
90% 1k per year (new) Used goods are 10% (used from garage sale is 10%) Used from Goodwill, Church Sale, etc does not count against.
Our normal household consumer goods account held steady at 10% this included all non-food purchases. We budgeted the $1000 out over the year ($83 a month), so we knew we’d end up at 10%. This has had the advantage of allowing us to put the extra money towards our mortgage.
Non-repeatable homestead purchases for the year: Replaced our old washer (when it died beyond repair) with a very efficient front loader, bought a used car, built chicken coop and bunny barn, and a new non-electric grain mill. These totaled up to $2150 when adjusted for used and sustainablity percentages — 21.5%
So our total in Consumer Goods was 31.5% of the American average.
So overall we met or exceeded the Riot goals in all categories except gasoline and consumer goods. Gasoline will continue to be a long-term problem since we live so far out in the country.
Consumer goods will be high for a few more years as we continue to build our homestead. We’ll be needing a roof for the house in a few years, will be getting rainwater collection systems in place, will be adding more to the orchard, and be building a few more animal enclosures over the next year. Hopefully by 2010 it will all be in place.
I’ll continue to track our numbers and will probably post quarterly updates. Our main focus for June 2008-June 2009 will be food. Growing, harvesting, preserving and storing. Our numbers in that category shifted around so much through the seasons that getting them under control has become a priority.
Kim
Our little bantams are all grown up now. They are about 80% grown and could begin laying eggs in 6 more weeks. They are so fun to watch. Some of them are quite the looker!
Next a view of the pasture where the bunny barn is located. You’re looking at the back of the garden too. The tall plants (with white flowers) are the seed carrots. They are almost ready. The next picture is the middle part of the garden. Then the front of the garden with the asparagus all ferned up. In a month the asparagus will look like miniature Christmas trees with little red berries all over them. The final picture is the woods. These are the trees that the goats girdled last fall. They seem to have survived and even have new growth.
