We’re Troy, Jenn, and Ely Goodnough, and we’re not just saving the planet, we’re saving for college! Our team is called the Prairie Penny Pinchers, and we live in Morris, MN.
We’re really excited about the Family Energy FACE-OFF because we know there’s more that we can do to save energy at home (and we really like winning)!
We answered some questions below about our family so that you can get to know us better. We hope you’ll join our team!
| Tell us about your house. The house we live in was built in 1908 by a former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice, R. A. Stone. The home was originally built with a servant’s room… a different era. Now, we serve the house. When we purchased the home in 2007, we knew energy was going to be an issue. Luckily, the kitchen was about a year old when we bought the house and so the appliances are relatively new and have decent ENERGY STAR® ratings. |
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When did you have your energy audit, and did you do anything to save more energy because of it?
In 2009, we had an energy audit done through our utility. The auditor told us that for an old home, we were doing pretty good and that we had a hole about the size of a fist in our house. He also suggested that we could look into more attic insulation. They also gave us a packet of energy conservation trinkets that helped spur more changes. We installed a low-flow showerhead. We put plastic over our windows and insulated all the outlets on outside walls. And we put door sweeps on our outside doors.
In addition to the actions under your energy audit, what have you done so far to be a more energy efficient and sustainable household?
- Invested in a high-efficiency natural gas boiler (Just before our second winter in the house, Jenn’s dad stuck his finger through the side of our boiler while inspecting it. This inspection probably saved our lives, and it provided an “opportunity” to make the upgrade.)
- Turned hot water heater down to 120 degrees
- Installed and programmed a programmable thermostat
- Purchased high performance windows and insulated window weight space with insulation
- Changed most of lights to CFLs and LEDs (We want to have at least a couple of lights that we can bequeath to Ely when he leaves our home.)
What are the ongoing things you do to be more energy efficient and sustainable?
- Wash clothes in cold water
- Hang our clothes outside to dry
- Make sure the dishwasher is full before running it
- Use the energy saver setting on the dishwasher
- Open and close our window shades to allow passive heating in the winter and keep the house cooler in the summer. (We have a very big south facing window, so in the winter we get light, and in summer we pull the thermal shades and live in darkness-smirk!)
- Consider tree care as part of energy management
- Compost in the backyard (You can imagine what the neighbors are saying. They don’t yet know about our plans to dig up the yard and plant a garden. We never water the lawn…)
- Each month, we talk about our energy usage and compare it to the past
What aspects of this contest are you most excited about?
Saving money…and using this contest to take another look at the sources of energy consumption in our home and trying to do better. We want our investments in energy savings to help pay for themselves—plus college is expensive! Already Ely is saying “turn off the lights” and “shut off the water.” We’re interested in what other irritating, I mean, energy-saving things a 4-year old can come up with. Of course, we would also like to give the Vetsch/Dybsetter clan another excuse to stuff some more insulation in it – their house.
What actions do you plan to do?
The Goodnough household will likely will be sitting in permanent darkness, reading to each other and sharing stories, just like in 1908. Jenn’s uber-competitive German character will now take over in the household. Now that Ely can survive in colder temperatures, I can only imagine how many sweaters he will need to wear. Perhaps, he can stay at the “Vetsetter” household, where they keep it at 68F.
How does your family feel about this contest?
Ready to do what it takes to win. It’s not about saving kilowatt hours, it’s about saving for college. And to be honest, I’m a little nervous: Jenn’s comments about keeping the temperature just above where the pipes won’t freeze and showering at the gym instead of at home are in jest, right? (Fingers crossed.) Ely’s prepared to let us eat his tropical fish if their water requires too much electricity. This family is a family of givers. What can you do?
Anything you want to tell the CERTs audience or your opponent?
I have no doubt that the Morris community will rally and singlehandedly become the shining beacon of energy efficiency. Given how warm it is down south, in New London, where the “Vetsetters” live, it doesn’t exactly feel like a fair fight. But, then again, life isn’t fair…so it’s OK that they start with a bit of an advantage.
