Needham family begins with mouse problem, ends with big savings and a neighborhood garden.
When Steven and Sarah Winig moved to Needham six years ago, the excitement of their big move was soon replaced by worries about their new home. At 50 years old, the Winigs’ new house started giving them problems almost right away, and they struggled to fix some major issues – fast. “There were mice everywhere, even between the floors,” Sarah Winig recalled about her first winter in Needham. “The first thing we did was to air-seal the house for mice. I closed in every hole I could find.” The Winigs had fixed their mouse problem, but in the process they had also begun to make their old house more energy-efficient.
Realizing that filling the holes in their house had made a huge difference in the quality of their home insulation, the Winigs wanted to do more. “The house just guzzled oil, and it seemed like it was leaking everywhere,” Winig explained. Working with MassSave, an initiative made possible my Massachusetts’ primary electric utilities and energy service providers, the Winigs received a free Home Energy Assessment and began the process of reducing their home energy consumption. “They came out, did a free audit, and made recommendations. They also gave us free compact florescent bulbs which helped us make the switch easily,” Winig remembered. After completing the new insulation of their home, the family noticed a significant drop in their overall oil usage. The continued positive results led them to trade in their old refrigerator for an energy-efficient alternative, and to purchase a front-load washer.
While many families make these important changes to their homes and stop there, the Winigs took their new lifestyle a few steps further. “A few years ago, I decided I really wanted to grow a small vegetable garden,” Winig said. Today, the Winigs’ garden is a popular attraction for neighborhood kids, who love trying new vegetables. “A lot of the inspiration to do this sort of thing comes with having kids,” Winig noted. “You want to show them not to waste in simple ways.” In keeping with that attitude, the Winigs started making their own compost, and found they make enough to feed the neighborhood garden each year.
The Winigs’ story shows how a few changes can begin a lifestyle of greener habits that can benefit the surrounding community. Sarah Winig is hopeful that more people will do what her family has done once they see how easy and cost-effective it is. “A lot of what we’ve done has been an investment,” she emphasized. “The nice thing is, people are becoming more aware of energy savings with the economy the way it is. People are more aware that you can save by reducing your energy consumption – that it’s not detrimental to their lifestyle.”
