The answer would be small changes mostly. Many of these might not work for you, but they all can make some difference:
- Get a smaller car next time, not a bigger one. European families somehow make due with smaller cars than the beasts we drive. If you "need" a big vehicle for only a few times a year, look into the economics of renting one for just those occasions.
- Drive less aggressively with fewer stops/starts.
- Take a look at your weatherstripping/windows/doors/chimney flues for drafts. Some of those fixes are relatively simple (a $20 can of expanding foam around door jamb/window sill after pulling trim, or insulation in the chimney flue).
- Make your city trips shorter or multi-stop (don't go to the farther, marginally better theater for a movie, etc. - by way of analogy, we went across town to Southland Leisure Center for swimming with the kids over the holidays, it ended up being too busy so we went to Shouldice, which is 5 min from my house and the kids had just as much fun)
- Vacation closer to home rather than farther from home.
- Get a digital thermostat ($50) and program it to have the house be cooler at night and when you're not home during the day.
- Bike commute in the summer (or partially commute from one of the park and bike locations).
- Take shorter showers or shower with a friend :-)
What will happen without your input is by pricing carbon emissions:
- Our electricity mix will become less carbon intensive (because the price will go up in the short term, making those alternatives more attractive, which will eventually lower those prices).
- New products will be made to use less power (this is already happening)
- New houses/furnaces/hot water heaters/windows will be built to be more efficient (also happening). As those need replacing, pick the more efficient option.
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