Investing for the future?

This is our latest investment aimed at reducing our energy costs. This Sherwin WIlliams E-Barrier paint acts similarly to foil reflective barriers, but it has 2 advantages. It is cheaper and it is just paint - so it is MUCH easier to do. It claims to reduce electric bills by as much as 15%. If it only cuts 10% from our electric bill, that will still cover almost 50% of the cost of this paint during this upcoming Arizona summer!

Painting the attic with this will be the first of a 2 step process to further insulate. Once this goes on, we will put new insulation between the rafters. The insulation up there looks like it was done in the 80s, so it is about time.

The good news is that our electric bill should be substantially lower this summer. The bad news is that we won't be able to tell how much is from the E-Barrier and how much is from the new insulation. The analyst in me is dying to know, but I'm far too pragmatic to wait a full year for new insulation just to get data.

The interesting things is that this 5 gallon paint bucket cost more than all of the books that I have purchased in the last 6 weeks. And, just like the books I'm buying, we're spending this money now because there is a possibility that I will be working solely for our business next year. We know ourselves well enough to realize that it is harder to spend money in a one income household, even for a relatively quick 18 -24 month payback. But, in my own brain, this is completely different from buying stacks of books. This is not hoarding in preparation for leaner times to come. This is wisely investing for the future!

There is plenty of logical support for the "investing for the future" argument, but I can't say that is the only reason these things are happening. We do need to conserve energy - for our personal finances and for the planet. I do have political issues with oil and would like to use less of it. These little insulation changes have great ROI and will be easy for us to do ourselves. But this has all been true for the entire time that we have lived in this house.

The reason that all of these motivations have now rolled into action is quite simple. We have momentum. We started work on a few small projects around the house and now we are on a roll. I just hope it lasts long enough to do all of the other work we want to do this year!