Diligent renovation work is key here, and much can be accomplished without having to get into the projects of epic proportions. The project that more and more home owners in Texas are turning to for much better household efficiency would have to be window replacement. How can putting in a few new window units change your house's efficiency all that much? Well, by keeping the indoor climate at a comfortable temperature, preventing thermal loss or thermal gain that is so common in households with old, thin, drafty windows. That thermal gain/loss isn't innocuous: it triggers the home's heating or cooling system to turn back on and to burn more fuel, leaving a large carbon footprint and making the home owners spend a lot of money in the process.
After getting household structures up to date like windows, it is a good idea to tackle the actual systems keeping your house going, systems like the HVAC or other heating/cooling system. Not only do you want to make sure that the hot and cool air you're producing isn't wasted needlessly, but you further want to ensure that that air is being generated cheaply and efficiently. HVACs with more than 2 decades of use in them are all going to be inefficient, and on top of that they are probably creating a household insurance liability, thereby causing the home owner to waste even more money.
Other, smaller technologies can also be replaced to help improve household energy and resource efficiency. With windows and heating/cooling systems out of the way, the next diligence to tend to relates to kitchen appliances; the more of these that can be switched out for efficient, Energy Star-rated alternatives, the better. It is amazing how much electricity as well as water and gas gets consumed by the appliances in this room, and it is equally amazing to discover how much of that consumption is completely unnecessary-unnecessary when you've got the right technology installed.
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