My husband has a whole network going using Home Assistant - he has connected plugs for various outlets, mainly appliances as well as Kasa light switches. He can monitor usage and turn off lights left on.  We were  surprised at how much energy our TV uses.

We had our plumber install an AO Smith Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) almost 4 years ago. I liked the idea that it would use less electricity than a electric resistance hot water heater. It's quiet even when operating (a soft fan noise is all). Our model has a 66 gallon tank, which has proven to be plenty for 2 people. The room in which it is installed must be of a certain minimum size, depending on the model you select. Our basement was large enough for the model we selected. It does make the basement a little colder than it would otherwise be. But since we don't have any finished areas in the basement, and we aren't down there very often, this has not been an issue. A byproduct of a heat pump is that it dehumidifies the air, which because we have a forced hot air system, turns out to dehumidify the entire house, at least somewhat. I say somewhat, because with only 2 people in the house, and with the water heater downstream of our solar hot water system, it rarely runs in the warmer months. The fact it is dehuimidifying the air is more noticeable in the winter months. So we run a humidifier in our bedroom. We've had just one maintenance call since it was installed, to replace a corroded junction pipe that attached the water heater to the rest of the plumbing. Not a big deal. No regrets; I'll buy another HPWH when the time comes to replace it.

I own a 2021 Volvo XC40 battery electric vehicle, similar to the 2023 model pictured above. I've owned 4 gas-powered Volvos since 1996 and in my opinion, this is by far the best Volvo I've owned. I do almost all my charging at home, almost always overnight. I charge it about every 4-5 days, or about every 100-120 miles. The cost of electricity is a lot less than the cost of gasoline (maybe half), and it doesn't fluctuate, unlike the cost of gas.  I bought a ChargePoint home charger and paid an electrician to install it. I didn't realize it at the time, but all I really needed was to add a 220 volt outlet with the appropriate recepticle. The car can do the rest. In fact, for the first few months, I charged it on 110 volt power; it just takes a lot longer. The acceleration is superb. I really like the "one pedal" driving, whereby the accelerator pedal engages moderate braking when you let it up. I find that for city driving, I never need to switch to the regular brake pedal. 

We regularly drive up to central NH; this is a 125 mile trip. I usually charge to 90% before starting out, and we use 50% to 60% of the battery by the time we get there (depends on the season). 

I don't have any range anxiety. The car's infotainment system calculates how much battery power will be left at your destination, and it knows where charging stations are on the way. It also nags the driver a lot when the battery gets below 25%. I've never had any issues here. I don't want to drive hundreds of miles in a single day, anyway. If I see a storm coming up, I recharge the battery early.

We started composting plant waste from cooking a few months ago.   We were/are amazed at the decrease in the number of transfer station bags we now use.  We use approximately half the number we use to - so we are saving on the bags.

We replaced our aging oil furnace with a geothermal heat pump system last summer, and it's kept our 18th century house perfectly comfortable through extraordinarily cold and hot days these last twelve months (even during the -14F, -46F windchill weekend this past February). The system is extremely quiet and requires little maintenance other than changing air filters every few months.

When we started composting, we hadn't done much if any prior research. We didn't measure green or brown matter. Instead, we piled kitchen scraps, grass clippings, fall leaves, and our chickens used bedding. Surprisingly, this worked well and we had no problems with stench. In addition, our chickens loved scratching for bugs and the like. I would highly recommend this!