What a difference our kids are making in our home energy bill!  I called our electric & gas company, obtained our household usage for each month for the past 3 years.  I put everything on an excel spreadsheet and calculated the monthly average and also highlighted record highs and record lows.  We had a family meeting to discuss a common goal, reducing our energy usage.  We discussed ways to make a difference, such as turning of lights, powering down electronics not in use, taking shorter hot showers, etc. 

Then, we offered up a challenge to our family.  Each month, all the money saved will be divided among family members.  There is also a special bonus for obtaining new record lows.  The first month, our family reduced our gas usage by 20 therms and reduced our electric usage by over 400 kilowatt hours.  We even set a new 3 year record low for electric usage for the month, and also set a new record low energy bill for our household! 

We are working on this project as a team, and we have the all-important buy-in from every member of the family.  We all understand what watts & therms are too!  Bottom line is, we are saving money, and my kids can't wait for the next energy bill!