[CO.sub.2] Emissions are a matter of personal consumption. (From Readers).

As a self-confessed energy conservation "nut," I was interested in Robert Ayres' article, "The Energy We Overlook" (November/December 2001). The suggested prescription is a good one, but impractical in that it requires political will and industry cooperation in a direction not yet seen in North America. I don't think I will see it in my lifetime.

On the other hand, I have managed to dramatically reduce my family's energy consumption by modest spending on readily available products. Most important, if you were to visit our house, or drive somewhere with us, you would not notice anything out of the ordinary. My two daughters and particularly my wife are normal North Americans who would never tolerate "freezing in the dark." They ensured that I could not keep our five-bedroom house at (say) 16[degrees]C (60[degrees]F) in the winter.

Our annual electricity bill averages US$240, which buys us just less than 3,500 kilowatt hours. This is about one-quarter of the typical electricity consumption for a family of four, and saves us around US$450 every year. Our investment is given in the table [on page 5] in approximate numbers, converted at US$0.64 per Canadian $1.

The "freezerless" refrigerator has no defrost cycle, so it consumes 40 to 50 percent of the electricity of a self-defrosting unit. The freezer is in our basement, where it rejects heat to a 15[degrees]C room, also helping to warm it slightly. The Euro clothes washer fills on 15 litres of water. It spins at 1,100-1,300 rpm, leaving less than half the water in the clothes that a conventional top-loader would leave--saving more energy in drying than used by the washer itself. The water-cooled A/C condenser rejects heat to water at around 12[degrees]C instead of to air at 30[degrees]C, using perhaps half the power. The fluorescent lamps consume 20 to 25 percent of the power of equivalent incandescents, and last around 10 years. We use a gas stove because (a) electricity reaches us with around 25 percent of the original energy in the fuel used to generate it and (b) contact between the electric hob and the usual pot is poor--thermal transfer is far better with a gas stove.

This investment is modular, making it very affordable. Appliances can be bought as needed. Our compact fluorescents were mostly bought on sale. Our house has just three incandescent bulbs left--in the refrigerator, in the oven, and in the garage. In fact, 90 percent of our savings on lighting could be realized with no more than 15 of the 40 lamps--but as an energy efficiency "addict" I was unable to leave well enough alone!

Our home heating costs are reduced by using a dual-temperature thermostat with a built-in clock. This clock-thermostat heats our house to 21[degrees]C (70[degrees]F) from 6-8 am and 5-10pm; the rest of the day it is at 14[degrees]C (57[degrees]F). This saves 10 to 15 percent of our heating costs. More insulation would be a real improvement, but too costly to retrofit. Similarly, we could buy a high-efficiency gas furnace, but since our gas is below US$400 per year, even I could not justify spending US$4,000 to save less than US$150 per year.

We have two diesel-powered cars, a VW Passat and a VW Jetta. We drive each about 25,000km (15,500 miles) per year. The Jetta consumes about 1,340 litres (350 US gallons) of diesel fuel annually, while the Passat uses 1,450 litres (385 US gallons). The Passat tows our rowing club's 38-foot boat trailer about 2,000 miles every summer which explains its slightly higher fuel consumption. Our "econocars" are not stripped-down models. Both have the normal creature comforts like A/C, electrical locking, cruise control, and power windows, to which the Passat adds heated seats.

With a top speed in excess of 100mph, these cars are capable of getting me into serious trouble with the police. They also save us US$300-350 per year in fuel over similar gasoline powered models. In winter, I install four excellent snow tires to give traction that would astonish an SUV owner! When I need to transport something, I rent or borrow a trailer at a fraction of the cost of owning a pick-up truck.

I get my "kicks" by saving energy. Compared to the vast majority who derive their pleasures more conventionally, I enjoy a useful financial bonus. Overall, my family saves at least US$1,100 per year on electricity and motor fuel (plus around US$50 on gas for heating). If we compared our car fuel burn to an SUV or minivan, our annual savings would be at least US$1,500. Translated into gross income, this is very like asking your boss to give you a $2,000 raise.

Of course, I would be delighted to see the kind of changes Robert Ayres recommends. In the meantime, we could all do a great deal to conserve energy--and also help our personal "bottom line."

Item                                              Cost
                                             (U.S. dollars)

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (~40)                   $510
Refrigerator (with no freezing compartment)      ($190) (1)
Small Chest Freezer (secondhand)                  $130
Water-saving Euro clothes washer                  $320 (2)
Dual Temperature clock-thermostat                 $ 65
Water-cooled condenser for central A/C            $320 (2)

Total                                           $1,155

Annual Electricity saving (25 year payback)       $450

(1)Cheaper than model with freezer.

(2)Approximate cost in excess of normal model.