So you’re caught up in the moment, dreaming about solar panels, a wind turbine on your roof, selling energy back to the power company rather than paying a monthly utility bill. But if we are, as President Obama suggested, to put aside childish things and enter a new era of responsibility, we must do first things first.

That means having taking a whole house approach to our energy conservation efforts. it doesn’t make sense to spend tens of thousands of dollars generating electricity you’re throwing away through inefficiency. In the end, it doesn’t matter if you generate energy or simply consume it, what really matters is your net energy footprint. 

People sometimes fixate on a single facet of a problem with the best intentions. Dieters pack on the pounds while virtuously wolfing down bags of fat-free cookies. How many times have you heard someone order the super-size double whopper value meal with a diet soda, and thought that soda isn’t really the problem?

The free home energy audit is a good starting place for rethinking your energy diet.

You’ve got to learn to walk before you can run.