Well I just got a $24 electric bill in the mail. I have no other utility bills.
The way I look at it, I will spend anything I can to reduce my regular monthly expenses. Then I have a lower cost of living. And thus have more "extra" money left over to do with what I wish.
I know a few people who had a lot of money invested in the stock market and lost upwards of $100,000!
I on the other hand have been investing my money in things which reduce my energy costs. So I now have a forever lower cost of living.
The best to me is a one time expense. Like a woodstove, chainsaw, wood splitter, insulation for the house, woodstove water heating system, etc.
I pay for these things, then that is that. No monthly payments. Just maintenance costs every now and then, but those are low because I can do that myself.
So you can install insulation, Energy Star windows, etc., then forever after that have lower energy costs. That is a good thing in my book! Like a retirement account. You are paying now to reduce your future cost of living. Once it is paid for, then that is that.
At the time I installed my woodstove, I had no idea how much equipment I would need and how expensive it all would be. So I sometimes think about if it was worth the cost. But then I see other people paying near $400 a month to heat their house and realize it was worth every cent!
I did run up some bills buying this and that, but with my little $24 electric bill, I am quickly paying this stuff off! So all my investments are starting to pay off big time this year. I'm pleased as punch!
As to actual return on my investment, I might buy a switch which costs $4 to plug a cell phone charger into. Then turn that switch off when not in use. This might save me 10 cents a month on my electric bill.
And I probably spent about $400 installing switches on electrical things. And these combined reduced my electric bill $2.50 a month. (Not counting TVs, microwave, computer, etc. which I had switches for already.)
Or $30 a year.
Or $300 for 10 years.
BUT, 6 years ago I spent $800 for a new refrigerator which saves me $15 a month on my electric bill. That paid for itself. So you can look at it as that savings is then used to pay for improvements which will save yet more and my cost was actually around $120 for the $400 worth of switches. (Subtract refrigerator savings after paid for itself.)
And now the savings for those two projects will be $17.50 a month on the electric bill. So the electric switches will be paid off in a year with help from the refrigerator.
Then I will have an extra $210 a year from the savings on my electric bill. (So long as the refrigerator does not break.)
It adds up!