I have recently received my family's allowance of "Bush Bucks", the governments effort to stimulate our economy. Even though I disagree with the politics of spending my children's money in this way, I have taken the money and spent it.

I often write about energy issues and frequently say that we must "do something" to reduce our use of oil - for our own economic savings as well as environmental reasons. I have described my family's efforts to construct an energy room to reduce our own use of heating oil and explained that we will be spending much more to build this room than we expect to save in the next few years. I have received the occasional comment that doing something takes money and that many cannot afford this. Here is where Bush Bucks come in.

Most families have by now received their own Bush Bucks. How did you spend your share? If you paid off debt then I can't fault your decision. If you ran out to buy that big screen TV then you have no complaint when you have to dig deep this winter for heat.

A few hundred dollars can go a long way towards reducing your use of oil. Window quilts are a good start and a few windows worth can be purchased for a few hundred or the materials can be bought to do most of a house for those who are handy with tools and a sewing machine. Even a good window has an R value of only about 2 or 3 and each window is like having an uninsulated section of wall in your house. Cover them up with some good quilts and immediately feel the difference. Caulking around doors and windows makes a huge difference and putting those little foam gaskets behind electrical plates can stop quite a bit of breeze. Infiltration - leaking air - is one of the greatest losses of heat in most homes and not much money is needed to reduce your leakage. Adding insulation to your attic costs a bit more but can pay huge rewards. You get the idea. The worst thing you can do is nothing. Every bit helps and collectively, if every home was made just a bit tighter then the savings for our state and country would be huge.

You have no excuses. Anyone can do nothing and we all love to complain but the middle of this winter will weed those who did something from those who just complained. Make the effort to make a difference.

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