Americans Still Motivated to Conserve Despite Drop in Energy Costs

Caulking around doorways and window frames is one of several steps residents can take to weatherize their homes.

We at the Zone have encouraged our readers to take steps toward energy conservation wherever possible.  Simple, inexpensive investments in measures such as weatherstripping and lowering thermostat temperature can save homeowners hundreds of dollars a year on heating costs.

This summer, with crude oil at the record-high price of $147 a barrel, many heating oil users anticipated astronomical heating costs this winter and began weatherizing their homes to offset higher heating bills.  With oil prices currently almost 50 per cent lower than they were in July, waning interest in weatherization and other conservation measures would not be surprising.  According to a Reuters article published yesterday, interest is as strong as ever.  Americans are still working hard to seal up cracks in their homes and increase heating efficiency any way they can.  Home Depot and Lowe’s report big increases in demand for weatherstripping, programable thermostats, and other energy efficiency products in recent months, and these trends have remained strong even as the price of crude oil (and the related price of heating oil) has plunged.

According the the Department of Energy, homeowners who undertake weatherization projects for their homes save an average of $413 in the first year alone.  Those kind of savings are hard to pass up in the current economic climate, no matter what the price of oil may be.  Francis Rodriguez, head of the weatherization assistance program at the Association for Energy Affordability in the Bronx, credited New Yorkers with understanding that they cannot rely on low oil prices to save money on home energy costs: “They know the price is going down, but they know what would have happened if the price had stayed up that way.” (source: Reuters)

Put simply, energy conservation is always a good idea that will save residents money, regardless of the price of oil, natural, gas, or any other fuel.  It’s not too late to weatherize in preparation for this winter, so if you haven’t already, pick up some caulk and weatherstripping and get to work!