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<ul><li><strong>The Great Indian Festival sale will be live on Amazon starting from September 23.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>The company has revealed some <keyword id="14626613" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kickstarter-deals" source="Orion">Kickstarter deals</keyword> ahead of the sale.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>From home appliances to grooming to household products, the Kickstarter deals comprise products across categories.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>Here are some of the best Kickstarter deals on Amazon.</strong></li></ul>E-commerce giant Amazon is scheduled to host the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/amazon-great-indian-festival-sale-best-deals-and-offers/articleshow/94004700.cms">Great Indian Festival sale</a> to celebrate the festive season. The sale is scheduled to begin on September 23, 2022. Ahead of the Great Indian Festival sale, Amazon has revealed some Kickstarter deals.<br /><br />Buyers can get their hands on various products across categories at a discounted price under these Kickstarter deals. From electronics to household appliances, these Kickstarter deals have something for everyone. Also, this time Amazon has introduced an option to collect and redeem diamonds for cashback rewards.<br /><br />Amazon partners with various banks to offer customers additional discounts by using card offers. During the Great Indian Festival sale, SBI credit and debit card holders will get an instant 10% discount plus a 10% cashback if it's their first purchase.<br /><br />Also, Prime members will be given an advantage to avail the benefits a day before the sale begins.<br /><br />If you want to stay a step ahead of the non-prime users and get early access during the sale, you will have to become a Prime member. Click <a href="https://www.amazon.in/amazonprime?tag=tech_insider_india_buynowbluebutton-21">here</a> to subscribe.<br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B091H9DWL9" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B091H9DWL9_head">      <div type="image" title="Dual mic" msid="94238693" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B091H9DWL9</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B091H9DWL9_body"><bulletContentRow name="B091H9DWL9_7995638631635409"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Truke Buds S1</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Truke dropped its price to ₹1,099 from ₹3,999 for its Buds S1 as a part of the Kickstarter deals. The ergonomic design makes it comfortably fit on your ears. Powerful music with and long playback time- after a single charge makes it a good option to consider.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B0B5S4VR5T" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B0B5S4VR5T_head">    <div type="image" title="Large display" msid="94157869" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B0B5S4VR5T</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B0B5S4VR5T_body"><bulletContentRow name="B0B5S4VR5T_0635193797451333"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">TAGG Verve Connect Max Smartwatch</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Tagg has dropped the original price by 71% for its smartwatch. Currently available at ₹2,299, you save ₹5,691 on this. The large 1.80-inch display and Bluetooth connectivity makes it convenient to use. It is a good option to track your blood oxygen rate, heart rate and sleep levels.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B09TTKHGM7" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B09TTKHGM7_head">    <div type="image" title="High Resolution" msid="94157889" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B09TTKHGM7</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B09TTKHGM7_body"><bulletContentRow name="B09TTKHGM7_9146572399823569"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Noise ColorFit Smartwatch</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Originally priced at ₹6,999, you can now get this smartwatch from Noise at ₹2,999 only as a part of the Kickstarter deals. It features a 1.78-inch always-on AMOLED display for an enhanced viewing experience. You can access health updates, notifications and reminders.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B0B56YRDDT" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B0B56YRDDT_head">            <div type="image" title="Multiple AI modes" msid="94157908" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B0B56YRDDT</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B0B56YRDDT_body"><bulletContentRow name="B0B56YRDDT_7396663022413462"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Tecno Spark 9</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Currently available for ₹8,099, this smartphone from Tecno is a good option to buy if you are looking for an affordable smartphone. It features a 90Hz refresh rate to ensure a smooth experience and is equipped with a MediaTek Helio G37 chipset. It comes with a 5000mAh battery. You can get an additional 10% instant discount of up to ₹750 on SBI debit card transactions.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B09RMQYHLH" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B09RMQYHLH_head">            <div type="image" title="Expandable Memory" msid="94157917" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B09RMQYHLH</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B09RMQYHLH_body"><bulletContentRow name="B09RMQYHLH_3851799802638439"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Realme Narzo 50</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">If you are planning to buy an affordably priced smartphone with decent features, the Realme Narzo 50 is a good choice. Originally priced at ₹15,999, you can get this phone at ₹11,999. It features a MediaTek Helio G96 processor chipset and offers 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage with an expandable memory of 256GB. It is equipped with a 5000mAh battery with 33W dart charging support.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B093LK1BBT" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B093LK1BBT_head">  <div type="image" title="Waterproof" msid="94238468" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B093LK1BBT</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B093LK1BBT_body"><bulletContentRow name="B093LK1BBT_3536962078751060"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Safari RAY Polycarbonate Combo Set of Small, Medium and Large Check in Hardsided Luggage</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Originally priced at ₹23,209, you can get this set of three luggage bags from Safari at ₹6,499 only. The bag offers a capacity of 32L, 57.6L and 97.8L respectively for small, medium and large sizes. The bag set is a good option to buy as it lets you save ₹16,710.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B09P8LG2RC" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B09P8LG2RC_head">            <div type="image" title="Energy-Efficient" msid="94157932" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B09P8LG2RC</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B09P8LG2RC_body"><bulletContentRow name="B09P8LG2RC_2274584949200793"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Samsung 1.5 Ton 4 Star Inverter Split AC</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Originally priced at ₹62,990, you can get this AC from Samsung at a discounted price of ₹34,999. As a part of the Kickstarter deals, SBI debit card holders can get an instant ₹250 off at a minimum purchase of ₹7,500. This 1.5-ton AC has a 5-in-1 convertible design and is suitable for medium-sized rooms. The 4-star energy rating, low maintenance and efficient cooling make it a good option to buy.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B09J2SCVQT" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B09J2SCVQT_head">            <div type="image" title="Sturdy Build" msid="94157943" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B09J2SCVQT</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B09J2SCVQT_body"><bulletContentRow name="B09J2SCVQT_5559189036603649"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">NutriPro Juicer Mixer Grinder</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">If you are looking for a handy and compact juicer mixer grinder, this option from NutriPro is a good option to consider. Originally priced at ₹6,000, you can get this at ₹1,870 only. Equipped with a 500-watt motor, it effectively grinds all the ingredients. You can get this grinder at no cost EMI option, bank offers, cashback and more.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B0B42TY1B1" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B0B42TY1B1_head">            <div type="image" title="Auto Clean" msid="94157953" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B0B42TY1B1</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B0B42TY1B1_body"><bulletContentRow name="B0B42TY1B1_5791340201928482"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Faber Curved Glass Kitchen Chimney</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Prior to the sale, these Kickstarter deals can be the right time to buy this chimney from Faber. Available at a discount of 57%, you need to pay ₹11,490 only. The touch and gesture control and auto-clean technology make it easy to use. You get to save ₹15,500 on this. Also, selected card users can get additional discounts and cashback for this product.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B08KDBLMQP" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B08KDBLMQP_head">        <div type="image" title="Leakproof Design" msid="94157969" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B08KDBLMQP</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B08KDBLMQP_body"><bulletContentRow name="B08KDBLMQP_3864325299647386"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Croma Mixer Grinder</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Available at a discount of 42%, you can get this mixer grinder from Croma at ₹1,450. The 500-watt grinder comes with three leakproof jars for convenient usage. The ABS material body, three-speed control options, anti-slip base and other features make it a good option to use for your kitchen.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B07XRVWCDD" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B07XRVWCDD_head">            <div type="image" title="Wide Mouth" msid="94157974" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B07XRVWCDD</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B07XRVWCDD_body"><bulletContentRow name="B07XRVWCDD_0367232004449713"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Prestige 1.8 Litre Kettle</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">You can get this kettle from Prestige at a 40% discount as a part of the Kickstarter deals. Originally priced at ₹1,295, the kettle is currently available for ₹783 only. The kettle offers a capacity of 1.8-litre and features a wide-mouth design to ensure easy cleaning and pouring.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B09KGVKZXS" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B09KGVKZXS_head">            <div type="image" title="Quick Drying" height="900" width="1200" msid="94157985" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B09KGVKZXS</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B09KGVKZXS_body"><bulletContentRow name="B09KGVKZXS_5876012536165675"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Samsung 8 Kg 5 Star AI Control &amp; Wi-Fi, Fully-Automatic Front Loading Washing Machine</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Available with a discount of 31%, you can get this washing machine from Samsung at ₹35,990, which is ₹15,810 less than its MRP. It offers a capacity of 8kg, making it a good option for large families. Features such as 22-wash cycles, high spin speed, AI control, delicate wash, digital inverter technology and more make it a good option to use for effective cleaning.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B084TCJ5GD" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B084TCJ5GD_head">    <div type="image" title="Easy Operation" msid="94157991" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B084TCJ5GD</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B084TCJ5GD_body"><bulletContentRow name="B084TCJ5GD_1286213291352886"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">SYSKA Corded &amp; Cordless Grooming Trimmer</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Syska is offering a 48% discount on this grooming trimmer for men. Currently available at a discounted price of ₹1,140. It is equipped with 10-length settings and offers a 60-minute working time after a complete charge. The trimmer has a lightweight and compact design for easy carrying and storage.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B0B21BWJ1N" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B0B21BWJ1N_head">    <div type="image" title="Easy to Use" msid="94157996" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B0B21BWJ1N</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B0B21BWJ1N_body"><bulletContentRow name="B0B21BWJ1N_6044742292339618"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Syska Salon Finish Hair Straightening Brush</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Originally priced at ₹2,999, Syska has dropped the price for this hair straightening brush to ₹1,799 as a part of the Kickstarter deal. To ensure easy movement and usage, the brush features a 360-degree swivel cord. The automatic switch-off technology when not in use makes it a good option to ensure safety and save electricity.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B01C8FM764" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B01C8FM764_head">    <div type="image" title="Promote hair growth" msid="94158015" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B01C8FM764</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B01C8FM764_body"><bulletContentRow name="B01C8FM764_4759770782956615"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Beardo Beard and Hair Growth Oil</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Looking for oil that initiates hair growth of your beard? Well, this beard oil from Beardo can be a perfect pick. Infused with the goodness of Amla, Hibiscus, Coconut Oil, Vitamin-E and Sesame, the oil promotes hair growth and makes the beard soft. It is a good option to get rid of a patchy beard. Currently available at a discounted price of ₹547, you get to save ₹203.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><br /><bulletContentEmbed name="B084WN37XT" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B084WN37XT_head">    <div type="image" title="Provides Hydration" msid="94158025" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb>B084WN37XT</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B084WN37XT_body"><bulletContentRow name="B084WN37XT_0451204329942090"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Mamaearth Aloe Vera Gel</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Mamaearth is a perfect go-to brand when it comes to hair care and skincare. As a part of the Kickstarter deals, Mamaearth has offered a 15% discount on its aloe vera gel. Best suited for the combination skin type, it is a good option to keep your skin hydrated. The gel is formulated to be used on both skin and hair. Originally priced at ₹319, you can get this gel at ₹271 only.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed><br /><strong>SEE</strong> <strong>ALSO:</strong><br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/amazon-great-indian-festival-sale-things-to-do-before-the-sale-goes-live/articleshow/94157228.cms">Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale: Things to do before the sale goes live</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/amazon-great-indian-festival-sale-best-deals-and-offers/articleshow/94004700.cms">Amazon Great Indian Festival sale announced – card offers, cashback, new launches and more</a>

Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale: Kickstarter deals revealed

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>My husband and I loved living in Minneapolis and felt sure we could afford a home in the city.</li><li>Even though we were approved for a $275,000 mortgage - above the average home price in the city - the market was too hot for our budget.</li><li>After losing out on several homes to other bidders, we bought our three-bedroom, one-bathroom home in Arden Hills, a suburb of Minneapolis.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yourmoney?utm_source=bullet">Read more personal finance coverage</a>.</li></ul><p>When my husband and I started looking to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-buy-a-house-step-by-step-guide">buy a home</a> for our family, we <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cities-versus-suburbs-cost-of-living-differences-expenses-2019-4">had our hearts set on the city</a>.</p><p>We had lived in Minneapolis since we got married in 2011 and enjoyed the convenience of walking to our favorite restaurants and coffee shops.</p><p>We didn't envision those routines changing when we had kids - I pictured walking my kids to and from school and dropping by our local cafe for a late-afternoon treat on the way home.</p><p>Turns out, dreams aren't always practical!</p><p>Our second son was born in 2017, and we lived in a small, two-bedroom apartment in downtown Minneapolis. It became apparent quickly that apartment living wasn't all that conducive to raising two little boys. We wanted a yard, an extra bedroom and, of course, more space - but still in the city.</p><p>When the time came to get pre-approved, I assumed we would have no problem affording a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in the heart of Minneapolis. We had been pre-approved for $275,000, and according to Zillow, the median home value there is $265,000.</p><p>The problem wasn't that we couldn't afford these homes - it was that they were in such high demand. We'd make offers on $275,000 houses (our max price) and lose to bidders offering north of $300,000.</p><h2><strong>Moving to the suburbs</strong></h2><p>We decided, for the sake of our finances and sanity, to expand our search to Roseville, New Brighton, and Arden Hills, three <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/suburbs-vs-city-cost-living-2019-7">suburbs</a> right outside Minneapolis and St. Paul. Not only were the property taxes lower in these areas, we could also get more for our money - more yard, more space, and potentially more bedrooms.</p><p>We ended up choosing a house in Arden Hills, a suburb about 10 miles northeast of downtown Minneapolis. Today, the median home value is around $350,000, but we purchased our home in 2017 for considerably less.</p><p>The house, which has three bedrooms and one bathroom, was listed for $250,000 (less than other homes in our neighborhood because of the one-bathroom situation) and we paid $265,000. That makes our monthly mortgage payment $1,760, which is around $400 less than our apartment rent (with twice as much space).</p><p><em><strong>Looking to buy your first home? Use this calculator to find out how much house you can afford:</strong></em></p><p>Because we're in the suburbs, we do have more space outside for our kids to roam - our fenced-in yard is a quarter acre - but that also comes with some maintenance, which we honestly don't have tons of extra time for. We probably dish out $1,000/year for lawn and garden services, but we save money by paying a local college student to do the work.</p><h2><strong>The perks of an updated home </strong></h2><p>Home ownership does come with costs that renting doesn't, especially if you buy an older home. Our house was built in 1946, and it's only had three owners since - the original owner, the family who bought it in 2012 and renovated it, and us.</p><p>Thanks to the previous owners' renovations - they totally flipped the house and replaced the roof and siding - we haven't had to deal with too much maintenance.</p><p>Since we purchased the house, we've paid an HVAC person $300, and a chimney sweep $200 to clean our two chimneys. I anticipate we'll be dishing out another $200 soon, since it's getting colder.</p><h2><strong>Living with kids</strong></h2><p>On top of these occasional expenses, we also pay a bit more on utilities than some families because we have two little kids (lots of laundry, dishes, and baths) and I work from home (so the lights and heat or A/C are almost always running).</p><p>We pay around $160/month for our electricity, $20/month for our weekly garbage pickup, and $67/month for recycling and water, both of which are paid in a bundle to the City of Arden Hills.</p><h2><strong>The takeaway</strong></h2><p>While there are some things we would have done differently for the sake of our finances (like putting down more on the house), we're really happy with our decision to move to the Minneapolis suburbs.</p><p>The house isn't perfect - the layout of the main floor is kind of weird, and we'd really like to add another bathroom once we can afford it - but those minor inconveniences are worth the stability of living in a home and neighborhood we generally enjoy.</p><p>My husband and I talk regularly about how glad we are we moved to Arden Hills: Sure, it's cheaper to live outside the city, but we don't totally feel like we've lost the convenience aspect. We have a great park and beach within walking distance, and downtown is just a quick jaunt away. We get the best of both worlds.</p><h3>Find out how much house you can afford:</h3><ul class="read-more-links"><li>More <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/personal-finance-insider">personal finance</a> coverage</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-airline-credit-card-comparison-delta-united-american">What's the best airline credit card?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com//best-cash-back-credit-cards">The best cash back credit cards</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/are-cds-a-good-investment">Are CDs a good investment?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-to-save-money-in-high-yield-savings">When to save money in high-yield savings</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-rewards-credit-cards">Best rewards credit cards</a></li></ul><p class="tagline"></p><p style="font-size:14px;"><em>Personal Finance Insider offers tools and calculators to help you make smart decisions with your money. We do not give investment advice or encourage you to buy or sell stocks or other financial products. What you decide to do with your money is up to you. If you take action based on one of the recommendations listed in the calculator, we get a small share of the revenue from our commerce partners.</em></p><div></div><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ufo-video-department-of-defense-scientists-dont-care-2018-1">Most scientists don't care about UFO videos because they don't indicate extraterrestrial life</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Here's exactly what it costs to own my 3-bedroom home in the Minneapolis suburbs, a place we never thought we'd live

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>It's been nearly a month since the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/california-wildfires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Camp Fire</a> broke out in Northern California on November 8.</strong></li><li><strong>The blaze killed at least 85 people, and quickly became the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-wildfires-map-evacuations-roads-closed-2018-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deadliest, most destructive wildfire</a> in California's recorded history.</strong></li><li><strong>Residents are being allowed to return home to the charred town of Paradise this week.</strong></li><li><strong>A 360-degree video captured the week after the fire broke out reveals just how little is left of the town.</strong></li></ul><p>The flames from the Camp Fire are gone, but they've left an eerie scene of ashen devastation in Paradise, California, where hundreds of residents are now heading home for the first time in nearly a month. Many people are returning to homes that have been reduced to piles of ash and concrete lawn ornaments, in a town that was all but swallowed whole by flames just hours after the fire broke out on November 8.</p><p>"<span>Everything I worked so hard for is gone," resident Jennifer Christensen told <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-residents-head-back-into-california-town-leveled-by-wildfire-2018-12?utm_source=slackbi&amp;utm_medium=slackbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Associated Press</a> as she took stock of what little was left of her home on Wednesday.&#xa0;</span></p><p>Residents were given kits with gloves and hazmat suits, the AP reported,&#xa0;as ash and hazardous waste are still being cleared out of town.&#xa0;</p><p>Photojournalist Steve Cooper, who drove up from his home in Santa Cruz to survey the damage in November, said when he arrived in Paradise the town was abandoned, and the smoke was still thick, gray, and stinky. Visibility was about a half mile, at best.&#xa0;</p><p>"You could taste it," Cooper told Business Insider. "You're smelling a mix of wood... burnt plastic, burnt pesticide smells, metals. It was such an intense smell."</p><p>He captured the scene in an immersive 360-degree video taken from the roof of his SUV. Though smoke kept Cooper from seeing too far off into the distance, all the typical suburban sight line barriers were gone: no homes obstructed his view as he surveyed the devastating scene.&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>"A quarter of a mile across, you could see nothing but chimneys standing up, or... concrete garden sculptures, like a garden gnome or a concrete deer," Cooper said. "The spiritual shot through the heart that this town took because of this fire was just indescribable."&#xa0;</p><p><em><strong>Read More</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-wildfires-map-evacuations-roads-closed-2018-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California's Camp Fire killed 85 people, but the death toll is still changing as DNA from remains is identified</a></em></p><p>He says it's tough to imagine how people might now move back into the town that was home to 27,000 people just last month - an abandoned place where people <a href="https://www.thisisinsider.com/california-camp-fire-survivor-describes-escape-2018-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">burned to death in their cars</a> trying to escape the flames.&#xa0;</p><p>"It'd be like moving into the funeral home," Cooper said. "Where somebody that was close to you had their wake."</p><p>You can click around in the video below to see a 360-degree view of what Cooper saw on his trip to Paradise. Check out the scene around 5 minutes in to the film, when rescue crews working with a cadaver-sniffing dog scan a transect of land for human remains.</p><p>The cause of the Camp Fire is still being investigated, but sparking power lines may have played a role in the blaze.</p><p>At least two separate class-action lawsuits have been filed against California's Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&amp;E). One suit was <a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-california-fires-woolsey-hill-camp-victims-of-the-camp-fire-file-class-1542663441-htmlstory.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed in Butte County</a> in November, and another was <a href="https://www.lieffcabraser.com/pdf/Camp_Wildfire_Complaint.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brought on Wednesday</a> in a San Francisco Superior Court.</p><p>Lawyer Erin Brockovich, who recently visited Paradise, said she cried while attending some community meetings there.&#xa0;</p><p>"I can't help it," she told Business Insider. "I just feel really bad, and I'm super frustrated because it looks like this was PG&amp;E again."</p><p>The power company maintains that the cause of the fire is still being investigated. PG&amp;E <a href="https://www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/newsdetails/index.page?title=20181204_pge_announces_plan_to_restore_services_to_butte_county_customers_after_camp_fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says the company</a> will restore power to "<span>nearly all customers who can receive electric service by the end of December 2018."</span></p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/watch-firenado-fire-tornado-forms-wildfire-2017-10">A 'firenado' is a real thing - here's how the dangerous phenomenon forms</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Wildfire evacuees are returning to the destroyed California town that's 'like moving backing back into a funeral home.' See the wreckage in a 360-degree video.

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>My husband and I <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-mistakes-when-buying-home-real-estate-what-to-avoid-2019-6">bought our first home together</a> in Hamilton, Ohio - it was in between our jobs, so neither one of us would have a terrible commute.</li><li>We paid under $100,000 for the house, but it's an older home and has some quirks.</li><li>We think it was a steal, though, since it's in a great location and our monthly bills come to about $1,000.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yourmoney?utm_source=bullet">Read more personal finance coverage</a>.</li></ul><p>When my husband and I got engaged, we started <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-buying-first-house-tips-advice-2019-1">shopping for our first home</a> together. Up until then, we'd both always <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-rent-a-house-a-guide">rented apartments</a> or rooms in apartments.</p><p>We had a unique challenge: Our jobs were a total of about 1.5 hours away from each other. I wanted to take on a bit more of the commute (I'd chosen my job <em>knowing</em> it would create this giant commute; he applied for and got his job earlier) and we wanted to live somewhere between the two cities where we were employed. That landed us in ... Hamilton, Ohio.&#xa0;</p><p>Lucky for us, we were able to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mortgage-tips-first-time-home-buyer-2019-5">buy our first house</a> for under $100,000. Here are the factors that we think made it such a steal.</p><h2><strong>Location, location, location</strong></h2><p>Hamilton is a city of 60,000 people, which makes it substantial but not a big city by any stretch; it's too far from Cincinnati to really be a suburb - about a 40-minute drive - but it isn't really out in the middle of nowhere either.&#xa0;</p><p>Our area is not a high-income zone. We've experienced, like other cities in the Rust Belt, problems with factories closing down and jobs heading to other places.&#xa0;</p><p>Near Hamilton are a few more prosperous towns where the cost of housing is higher. In nearby towns like West Chester, homes are much more likely to go for higher amounts for the same square footage as Hamilton. According to Zillow, the median house price for Hamilton homes is $161,600, while West Chester has a median price of $243,000.&#xa0;</p><p><em><strong>Looking for your first home? Find out how much house you can afford:</strong></em></p><p>We made the choice to live in Hamilton instead of the other towns around us based on these housing prices as well as the commuting distance to our jobs.</p><p>We discovered that Hamilton is experiencing a lot of urban renewal and that there are lots of great civic organizations functioning here, so opting for an up-and-coming town was a good choice for us.</p><h2><strong>Older home vs. new construction</strong></h2><p>By opting for a home built in 1912 or so (the records are murky), we got a lot of charm but also a not-ideal amount of future maintenance.&#xa0;</p><p>A very thorough property inspector helped us verify that we'd need some serious repairs, though the previous owners had been in the house for 30 years and had done a great job keeping it updated.&#xa0;</p><p>Within the first two years, we replaced a hot water heater, fixed a broken chimney (nothing with roofing is cheap), and had a dead and dangerous tree taken down. Those costs - $600, $2,500, and $450, respectively - were not chump change.&#xa0;</p><p>The third and fourth years of living in the house were much less costly by comparison, but we're saving for when the furnace or central air inevitably bite the dust.</p><p>While by no means ideal, even a few thousand dollars' worth of repairs didn't raise the overall cost of owning our home by very much. Opting for more recent construction - and a higher price tag - would have made it much less possible for us to purchase a home.&#xa0;</p><p>We also feel that we got a better deal than we would have in a house with newer construction, since our home has stained glass, hardwood floors, and beautiful detailed woodwork on the staircase, all things that would be out of reach of our budget if we went with a newer home.&#xa0;</p><h2><strong>Oddities of the house&#xa0;</strong></h2><p>While these things don't bother us, there are some oddities that we notice about our home. For one thing, our yard is not large (just 0.11 acres), which mostly means that mowing it is easy. It'd be a bad fit for a family with a super-active dog or two, though.&#xa0;</p><p>It also had only one bathroom when we moved in, and the bathroom was on the second floor. We've since changed a big closet on the main floor into a bathroom, but I can see how "four bedrooms, one bathroom" was a tough sell, since families with enough members to need four bedrooms are likely to want at least two bathrooms in their homes.</p><p>The last thing I thought might have helped us score a lower price is that the kitchen is small and not modern, a little galley off the main area of the house. I don't mind it, but it doesn't have that "open-plan living room/dining room/kitchen" look that is so popular right now.</p><p>While we don't know for sure, I believe that the $98,000 list price we saw when we first considered the house was artificially low already because of these quirks.&#xa0;</p><p>Houses of similar size in our area were going for a little more, around $110,000, and the original list price of the house, before we saw it, was $105,000.&#xa0;</p><p>We placed an offer of $93,000, since we liked the house but weren't in a rush to buy, and they countered with $96,500. When the inspector's report showed some needed repairs, we documented what they would cost and were able to negotiate another $3,000 down for a final cost of $93,500.</p><h2>Our mortgage interest rate is low</h2><p>Between my husband and I pooling some savings, we were able to put 20% down. That offered some benefits on costs like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-private-mortgage-insurance-definition-cost">private mortgage insurance</a>, which is required for smaller percentages.&#xa0;</p><p>We also opted for a 15-year mortgage with a low interest rate of 3.25%. While literally everyone told us that it is perfectly fine to keep a mortgage long-term at such a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-find-the-best-mortgage-rate">low interest rate</a>, both of us really loved the idea of paying off our house in under 30 years if we could.&#xa0;</p><p>Others said that the lower monthly payment on a 30-year mortgage would increase our cash flow, but we liked the slightly higher monthly payment with the lower interest rate (the rate would have been closer to 3.75% for 30 years).</p><p>We&#xa0; also figured out property tax in our area (around $2,000 a year on our house's current valuation, which was just a little lower than what we paid for it) and we figured out what it would cost to insure it ($1,200 a year, once we found a good insurance agent).&#xa0;</p><p>When everything was said and done, our monthly bill amounted to around $750 for property tax, home insurance, and our mortgage itself. We'd seen one-bedroom and two-bedroom places that cost more than that in rent.&#xa0;</p><p>We also worried that utilities would eat us alive - after all, 1,800 square feet feels like too much for two people. But it has worked out: With a smart thermostat that keeps us from heating and cooling excessively when we are out of the house, our bills for all climate control, electricity, water, sewer, and trash rarely break $200 per month. This probably varies by location, but it was good enough for us.&#xa0;</p><h2>The takeaway</h2><p>If you divide everything out, we've been paying something like $1,000 a month, including occasional repair and upgrade projects on the building, to live in our beautiful old house. We like the low cost of living in Hamilton, and we try to pay ahead on the mortgage whenever we can.</p><h3><strong>Can you afford to buy a home? Use this calculator to find out:</strong></h3><ul class="read-more-links"><li>More <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/personal-finance-insider">personal finance</a> coverage</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-airline-credit-card-comparison-delta-united-american">What's the best airline credit card?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com//best-cash-back-credit-cards">The best cash back credit cards</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/are-cds-a-good-investment">Are CDs a good investment?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/when-to-save-money-in-high-yield-savings">When to save money in high-yield savings</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-rewards-credit-cards">Best rewards credit cards</a></li></ul><p class="tagline"></p><p style="font-size:14px;"><em>Personal Finance Insider offers tools and calculators to help you make smart decisions with your money. We do not give investment advice or encourage you to buy or sell stocks or other financial products. What you decide to do with your money is up to you. If you take action based on one of the recommendations listed in the calculator, we get a small share of the revenue from our commerce partners.</em></p><div></div><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jake-bernstein-panama-papers-offshore-banking-shell-companies-2018-2">How the super-wealthy hide billions using tax havens and shell companies</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Here's exactly how much it costs to own my 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom home outside of Cincinnati

<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>A careful observer might note the chunky double glazing on the elegant windows and the heat pump whirring outside the basement entrance. From the outside the five-storey house in London's posh Notting Hill district looks like any other. Inside, though, it is full of new technologies that aim to make it a net exporter of power. They exemplify many of the shifts now under way that are making energy cleaner, more plentiful, cheaper to store, easier to distribute and capable of being used more intelligently. The house in Notting Hill is a one-off, paid for by its green multimillionaire owner. But the benefits of recent innovations can be reaped by everybody.</span></p>
<p>That makes a welcome change from the two issues that have dominated the debate about energy in the past few decades: scarcity and concerns about the environment. Modern life is based on the ubiquitous use of fossil fuels, all of which have big disadvantages. Coal, the cheapest and most abundant, has been the dirtiest, contributing to rising emissions. Oil supplies have been vulnerable to geopolitical shocks and price collusion by producers. Natural gas has mostly come by pipeline--and often with serious political baggage, as in the case of Europe's dependence on Russia. Nuclear power is beset by political troubles, heightened by public alarm after the accident at Japan's Fukushima power station in 2011. Renewables such as wind and solar--beneficiaries of lavish subsidies--have so far played a marginal role. The main worries were whether enough energy would be available for power generation, transport, heating, cooling and industry; and if so, whether it would cook the planet.</p>
<p>Now new factors are in play. Technological change has broken the power of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to keep the oil price high. Hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") and horizontal drilling have turned America into a big oil producer, with 4m barrels a day coming from sources which used to be deemed "unconventional". The boom in producing oil and gas from shale has yet to spread to other countries. America enjoys some big advantages, such as open spaces, accommodating laws, a well-developed supply chain and abundant finance for risky projects. So far it has refrained from exporting its crude oil or natural gas, but exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) will start this year. Increased trade in LNG will create a more global gas market and greater resilience of supply, undermining Russia's pipeline monopoly in Europe. America is already exporting lightly refined oil.</p>
<p>An increase in supply, a surprising resilience in production in troubled places such as Iraq and Libya, and the determination of Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies not to sacrifice market share in the face of falling demand have led to a spectacular plunge in the oil price, which has fallen by half from its 2014 high. This has dealt a final blow to the notion of "peak oil". There is no shortage of hydrocarbons in the Earth's crust, and no sign that mankind is about to reach "peak technology" for extracting them. But the fall has created turmoil in financial markets as energy companies lay off workers and cut or delay investment projects.</p>
<p>The implications are more complicated than the headlines suggest. For a start, low prices do not instantly cause supply curbs or make investment dry up. Even costly projects do not stop pumping when the oil price falls. Fracking is a small-scale business. New projects can be halted quickly and restarted when the price picks up. American frackers are now the world's swing producers, reacting to price fluctuations in a way that was once the prerogative of the Saudis. On a 15- to 25-year time horizon, today's slide in the oil price needs to be set against the likely long-term trend. Futures markets are betting that the oil price will be back to $90 per barrel in the early 2020s.</p>
<p>For now, though, low oil prices put money in consumers' pockets and give a bit of breathing space to governments, making it easier to cut fossil-fuel subsidies (and perhaps even tax carbon emissions). In 2013 some $550 billion was spent on subsidising fossil fuels, a policy of extraordinary wrongheadedness that favours the rich, distorts economies and aggravates pollution.</p>
<p>A bigger question on many minds is the effect of rock-bottom oil prices on the shift towards low-carbon energy. Solar, wind and other renewables have recently benefited from unprecedented investments: an average of $260 billion a year worldwide over the past five years. Long, and wrongly, decried as mere boondoggles, they have begun to show real commercial promise in places as diverse as India, Hawaii, and parts of Africa where the climate is favourable, costs are low and other sources of power are expensive. Renewables capacity is rising even as subsidies are falling. China, for example, has already installed nearly half the 200 gigawatts (GW) of wind power it had been planning for 2020, so it is sharply cutting back the subsidies it introduced in 2009.</p>
<p>But the relationship is not always straightforward. Renewable electricity mainly competes with gas- and coal-fired power stations, not with oil. In North America, low oil prices may, paradoxically, lead to higher natural gas prices. Less fracking means there will be less of the associated gas that is produced along with shale oil. More broadly, much of the support for renewables has been political, and there is little sign that this is changing. Worries about climate change continue to ensure that clean energy enjoys strong political support in many developed countries. Whereas shares in oil companies have in recent months fallen along with the price, the S&amp;P Global Clean Energy Index, which covers the industry's 30 biggest listed companies, has barely budged.</p>
<p>The economics--and particularly the whopping subsidies of the past decade paid out in countries such as Germany and Britain--remain contested. Solar and wind are intermittent, so they are truly useful only if the power they produce can be stored; otherwise they need back-up capacity, typically from fossil-fuel sources. Dieter Helm, an energy expert at Oxford University, says that subsidies for primitive green technology, such as the current generation of solar panels, have been a "colossal mistake". It would have been much better, he argues, to invest in proven technologies such as electrical interconnectors (linking Britain and Norway, for example) and support research into new kinds of solar power, such as films that can be applied to any outside surface and technologies that use a wider chunk of the spectrum.</p>
<p>Bits of the green-energy world are wilting under the impact of low oil prices. Some biofuels have become less attractive. The same is true for electric cars, which currently make up less than 1% of America's light-vehicle fleet. Bloomberg New Energy Finance reckons that with petrol at $3.34 a gallon ($0.87 per litre), that share could rise to 9% by 2020. With petrol at $2.09, it would go up to just 6%. At the same time countries and companies thinking of switching from oil-fired power generation to renewables may reconsider. Saudi Arabia, for example, was planning to invest $110 billion in 41 GW of solar capacity by 2032, but may now want to think again.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h3>Take The Long View</h3>
<p>Yet the long-term trend is clear. In particular solar electricity, and ways of storing it, are getting ever cheaper and better, as this special report will show. Sanford C. Bernstein, a research firm, sees "global energy deflation" ahead. Most of the investment decisions in the fossil-fuel industry are taken a decade or two ahead. The International Energy Agency (IEA), an intergovernmental organisation often criticised for its focus on fossil fuels, says the world will need to stump up about $23 trillion over the next 20 years to finance continued fossil-fuel extraction, but the prospect of much cheaper solar power and storage capabiliy may put investors off. The story may be not so much what falling oil prices mean for clean energy than what the prospect of clean energy will mean for the oil price.</p>
<p>Old energy industries are changing too. Gas will become more abundant and easier to trade. Even coal, the most widely used and so far most polluting fossil fuel, is not inherently dirty. It does not need to be burned but can be cooked instead to produce methane, which can then be used as a fuel or in petrochemicals. Modern coal-fired plants, though pricey, are far cleaner than the belching monsters of the past. The heat they produce is used, not wasted as in many traditional power plants. The emissions are scrubbed of the oxides (of nitrogen and sulphur) that eat away at bodies and buildings. In some projects--albeit for now on a tiny scale--the CO{-2} is also captured for storage or use. Such improvements could make coal as relatively clean as other fossil fuels, though they make commercial sense only if the rules are tilted in their favour. But if the price of such techniques comes down and the cost of pollution goes up, clean coal could be competitive.</p>
<p>Nuclear power, in theory, is a source of cheap, dependable, constant electricity. In practice it is too costly for private investors to back without government guarantees, and its perceived danger makes it unpopular in some European countries and in Japan. One of several flaws in Germany's Energiewende--supposedly a big shift to green technology--was the hurried abandonment of the country's nuclear capacity. Besides, many of the world's existing nuclear power stations will have to close in the coming two decades. Barring a political shift or a technological breakthrough--perhaps in small, mass-produced nuclear plants--it is hard to see the fortunes of nuclear energy reviving.</p>
<p>Demand for energy is likely to hold up for some time yet, mainly thanks to rapid economic growth in emerging economies. The IEA predicts that over the next 25 years it will rise by 37%. Yet increasing efficiency in energy use and changes in behaviour have meant that the hitherto well-established link between economic growth and energy use is weakening.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<h3>More For Less</h3>
<p>America's economy, for example, has grown by around 9% since 2007, whereas demand for finished petroleum products has dropped by nearly 11%. In Germany household consumption of electricity is now lower than it was in 1990. Global demand used to rise by 2% a year, but the rate is slowing. Even emissions in China, the world's largest and dirtiest energy consumer, may peak by 2030, thanks to huge investments in new clean-coal power generation, nuclear and renewable energy and long-distance transmission lines. Simon Daniel, an energy expert, sees two conflicting trends: on one hand greater efficiency, local production and storage, on the other increased consumption from the billions of new devices that will be hooked up to the "internet of things".</p>
<p>On current form the emissions from oil, gas and coal would, on most models, make it impossible to keep the rise in global temperatures below 2¢ªC by the year 2100; the most likely outcome would be a 4¢ªC rise, which has prompted calls for most of the world's remaining hydrocarbons to be left in the ground. The IEA estimates the investment needed for "decarbonising" future electricity production alone at an astounding $44 trillion. The best hope of avoiding that much warming is a huge increase in energy efficiency.</p>
<p>One big component of that task will be to adapt the existing stock of buildings. Amory Lovins, one of the foremost prophets of energy efficiency and founder of Rocky Mountain Institute, a think-tank and consultancy based in Colorado, believes that the scope for improvement remains huge. He has long preached that proper building design and energy storage can eliminate the need for air-conditioning and space heating in most climates, and illustrates this by growing bananas in his own house, on a windswept mountainside in Colorado where winter temperatures can drop to -44¢ªC. Eliminating the heating system for his house, he says, saved more money than he spent on insulation and fancy windows. His optimism is slowly winning converts.</p>
<p>Despite all the obstacles, pretty much all the technology the world needs for a clean, green future is already available. As A.T. Kearney, a consultancy, notes in a recent report for the World Energy Council, a think-tank: "Energy-efficiency potentials combined with renewable-energy sources and shale-gas potentials provide an abundance of energy that can be made accessible with currently available technologies."</p>
<p>Transmission costs for electricity are plunging, thanks to solid-state technology, which makes efficient direct-current circuitry safer and more flexible. Power grids which were previously isolated can now be connected: one audacious plan involves a 700-mile, £4 billion ($6 billion) link between Britain and Iceland. Such projects are costly up front, but offer big long-term savings from cheaper power, better storage and increased resilience.</p>
<p>More effective management of supply and demand also offers scope for big savings, as this special report will show. Sensors can now collect vast amounts of data about energy use, and computer power and algorithms can crunch that information to offer incentives to customers to curb consumption at peak times and increase it when demand is low. At the same time business models which can turn a profit from thrifty energy use are developing, and capital markets are waking up to their potential.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p>That splendidly energy-efficient house in Notting Hill demonstrates just how much can be done right now, even if it does not yet come cheap. Its owner, Michael Liebreich, founded a business called New Energy Finance, which he sold to Bloomberg, a financial-information company, in 2009. He has spent tens of thousands of pounds on making his home thrifty, resilient and productive.</p>
<p>The house is no stranger to energy revolutions. In 1865 its original builders installed a state-of-the-art delivery and storage system: a coal hole in the pavement, sealed by a handsome cast-iron hatch. Gas and then electric lighting, central heating and hot water came later. But the revolution under its current owner is the biggest yet. Despite the airtight insulation the rooms feel airy. Specially designed chimney cowls suck stale, moist air from the house while a heat exchanger keeps the thermal energy indoors.</p>
<p>The house now requires remarkably little input of energy. Gas and electricity bills for a dwelling of this size would normally run to at least £3,500 ($5,500) a year, but once everything is in place the owner expects not only to spend nothing but to receive a net payment for the electricity he produces. On the roof is a large array of solar panels which deliver two kilowatts (kW) of electricity on sunny days. Another source of power is a 1.5kW fuel cell in the former coal bunker. It runs on gas, with over 80% efficiency--far more than a conventional power station or boiler. The electricity from these two sources powers the household's (ultra-frugal) domestic appliances and its low-energy lighting, as well as a heat pump (a refrigerator in reverse) that provides underfloor heating. A water tank stores surplus heat. Spare electricity is fed back into the grid.</p>
<p>Mr Liebreich does not claim that his house is easily copied, but he insists that through "thinning mist" the future is visible. "The only things that are inherently costly are the thermodynamic process and resource depletion--for everything else costs have come down, are coming down and will come down in future," he says. In short, most of the forces changing the energy market are pushing in the right direction.</p>

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