We have all heard the news: oil prices have exceeded $100 a barrel and natural gas rates have exploded by 74% over the past four years. And these costs will continue to rise. So how can the average homeowner lower their energy bill and still maintain a comfortable, healthy, and green house? The answer is: Bruce Harley's Cut Your Energy Bills Now. Offering eye-opening incentives and easily achievable methods, Harley's uncluttered and organized approach will not only benefit the environment, it will help anyone reduce their heating, cooling, and electrical expenses. Highlighted by numbered tips and techniques for easy reference, the book presents a treasure trove of simple and inexpensive ways for cutting energy costs by up to 20% -- and even 40% in some cases.
When I was in the fifth grade, I did a science fair project on solar power, which was fun and exciting: among other things, I put together a solar cell to charge a battery-powered matchbox car. After that, I didn't think very much about energy--until I got a job at Conservation Services Group (CSG) in 1990.
After studying electrical engineering in college, and working for a few years doing circuit design and writing software, I found myself wanting to use my engineering skills to be more actively helpful in the world. That's when I found CSG and started doing energy audits, and learning about the science of energy in buildings. Having a background in engineering and physics was essential for me to get up to speed quickly and really understand what I was doing.
Since then, I have built a solar-powered home, written two books on energy efficiency, and conducted hundreds of trainings on residential energy efficient design and renovation, energy ratings, energy codes, HVAC systems, and green building. I'm actively involved in RESNET (the Residential Energy Services Network, www.resnet.us), as a board member and chair of the technical committee. And in my main job at CSG, I help the people who run energy efficiency programs all over the country make smart decisions about how to help homeowners. This ranges from analyzing savings, answering questions about "how to", doing research on developing technology, and applying a science-based approach to make sure that we achieve real savings in thousands of homes every year.
