I’ve learned a lot along the way about the minutiae of energy efficiency programs and federal climate regulations. I’ve also run into many people who can’t quote specific statutory provisions of the Clean Air Act and don’t like to talk about utility rates at happy hours – but who ask good questions about what they can do to address climate change in their own lives. This website is the result of talking to many of those people and realizing it might be useful to have one central roadmap available to help them find straightforward answers.

That’s the simple version of the story. Behind the scenes, in the last eight years I’ve had two kids, moved to a new state, switched jobs three times, lost my mother to brain cancer, and then there was that whole pandemic situation. As I talk about in more detail elsewhere, all of those experiences have made me a sound believer in the idea that life can make it very hard to carve out the time and space for even some of the easier steps toward reducing your climate footprint — let alone the more complicated ones. That’s why I’ve tried to lay them out here in as straightforward a way as possible. (At least the United States - although a lot of this may apply elsewhere, I’m afraid I had to stick to my American home turf in order to have some confidence I might know what I’m talking about.)

Note that this isn’t a website that’s trying to sell you any particular product; if there’s any bias it’s not because I’m being paid for it, with one small caveat highlighted below. In fact, having left the world of dedicated energy professionals is a key reason I' was able to make this website my main hobby. Some people learn to knit; I dive into the weeds of clean energy.

There are certainly plenty of in-depth resources out there on many of the topics discussed here, the best of which I’ve tried to highlight through links and citations as part of each step. Ideally this site is just a starting place for you to get comfortable navigating your journey to a climate smart home, helping you figure out where else to go for a speedy path to your final destination. Of course, there may be things I’ve gotten wrong or important information I’ve missed. If so, please let me know! You can contact me through this site, find me among the #energytwitter crowd @CleanEnergyNerd, or connect with me on LinkedIn. I’ve also started a Climate Smart Handbook group on Facebook for anyone who wants to share tips and questions. We energy nerds love company!

One final note that’s mainly for my own satisfaction: this website never would have come to be without the support of my family, friends, and colleagues, but most of all my mother who spent 38 years teaching me to spend my time on the things that really matter. Love you, Mom.