Lena’s story on downsizing and reducing energy use

Here’s our member Lena’s story about downsizing and all the ways she reduces energy use:

I moved here to downsize from a 2-bedroom house to medium density 1-bedroom apartment. Facing north, it is a challenge on very hot days, and also in the coldest part of winter. There are restrictions on what you can install externally which poses limitations. Fortunately, I’m on the ground with an identical apartment above me which takes most of temperature dynamic. This helps a lot. These are the measures I’ve taken:

• Installed two quality ceiling fans, one above daytime sitting area/kitchen, one in the bedroom. I use them in summer and winter adjusting the rotation. 
• In winter I use knee rugs in the evenings, heat to 18 deg mostly and exercise to rewarm myself.
• On hot days, Blinds go down all day and I have a large umbrella outside one window, creating shade.
• I pay a lot of attention to the demand side; Wash efficiently, air clothing and bedding frequently. I ‘companion’ cook and bake utilizing ‘after heat’ of old-style cooker. I cook in quantities to cut down use of stove. Eat more raw food requiring NO cooking.

My bills are a testament that all of these strategies are working, and they have not increased in 5 years! 

This is part of a series of CoPower members sharing stories with other members on saving energy. Your circumstances may differ, and each member’s experience might not be appropriate for your context. We encourage all members to share their stories here: https://bit.ly/EnergyStories.