Savings: $$$$

Installing home solar electric panels or wind power systems can completely eliminate your energy bills- saving hundreds or thousands of dollars a year. Extra energy that you generate at home during peak sun or wind conditions can be sold back to your utility company (in the majority of US states), thereby offsetting your bill in what is called ‘net metering’. The most effective approach is to install a system that covers ~75% of your home’s energy needs – typically a 2-10 kilowatt (kW) solar panel or wind turbine system.

With energy prices on the rise, falling prices for high quality solar panels and wind turbines, big rebates and incentives to further offset your costs, and favorable financing programs that cut upfront payments these renewable solutions have become extremely popular. Recent models are more visually appealing, reliable and guaranteed for 30 years, and efficient in generating energy.

The first step to big savings and green energy is to talk with a certified solar or wind professional in your local area. Our experts are the leaders in the industry and can objectively help you decide if solar power or wind power are right for your home, as well as inform you of specific rebates, incentives and financing programs. The informational calls are completely free and have no strings attached. If you are a capable do-it-yourself person, consider installing a home wind turbine recommended in our Energy Store available through our partner Amazon.com.

Savings: $$$

Approximately 43% of all the energy we consume at home is due to heating and cooling (source: US Department of Energy). The better insulated our homes, the less energy we need to spend heating and cooling. Unfortunately, there are a number of issues when it comes to properly insulating your home checking insulation levels, checking for holes or cracks around walls, windows, doors, etc. and closing the fireplace dampers that require some expertise to assess. We have partnered with home energy audit professionals who can help you assess these issues and identify heating and cooling solutions for your home. Click here to request a home energy audit from one of our certified professionals.

How does a professional home energy audit work? A standard in-home energy audit takes a full day - a large portion of which focuses on identifying air leaks. The certified energy audit professional visits your house and determines checks the entire house for energy inefficiencies. They will then create a report that recommends various fixes, the costs and the estimated savings impact.

Savings: $$

A compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) uses 75% less energy and lasts 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb. One CFL typically saves $30 over its lifetime – considering they cost $2-5 per bulb they pay for themselves in less than 6 months!

Just like standard incandescent bulbs, CFLs come in many brightness and color tone options and fit standard light fixtures. To make your selection easier, manufacturers generally indicate the “equivalent wattage” on the packaging (i.e., “this CFL produces the same amount of light as a standard 60W incandescent light bulb”). You can visit our Energy Store to buy a variety of recommended CFLs available through our partner Amazon.com.

Switching out your current light bulbs for CFLs is extremely easy. However, if your lights are on a dimmer switch – you need to purchase CFLs designated specifically for a dimmer switch. Note, if you have light fixtures from IKEA, many of the bulbs are not standard sizes and most common US incandescent or CFL bulbs won’t fit.

Not only do we encourage everyone to use CFLs in their own home and office, but they are great gifts. Not sure what to give Dad this year? How about inexpensive CLFs that save him money and save the environment?

Savings: $$

Windows and glass doors can account for 10 to 25% of your heating or air conditioning bill through energy loss – the worst are old single pane windows and doors which provide minimal insulation from outside temperatures. Updating to double-pane windows and doors in can significantly reduce energy demands and improve the comfort of your home. To see top rated windows and doors, visit www.jeld-wen.com.

Rebates and incentives are available for replacing windows, although the costs and efforts can still be significant. A simple solution to save heat loss through windows in cold climates is to cover windows with clear plastic sheeting or films. These plastic coverings (or tightly fitting shades) effectively act as a second window pane at a fraction of the cost.

Savings: $$

Installing a programmable thermostat that is compatible with your heating and cooling system can save about $180 per year (source: US Department of Energy). These thermostats allow you to set different temperature settings throughout the course of the day, typically to provide a greater amount of heating/cooling during the daytime hours or when you are at home. For the recommended pre-programmed settings for an ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostat, click here.

At a cost ranging from $25-75, buying a programmable thermostat to replace your older one is a no-brainer. They are very easy to install with just a screwdriver and most can be set in minutes. Visit our Energy Store to compare the latest programmable thermostats available through our partner Amazon.com.

Savings: $-$$

Easy ways to save energy focus on updating and replacing things around the house with products that use energy more efficiency. ENERGY STAR is the US government standard for energy efficient products, appliances, and practices that has been around since 1992. Manufacturers of ENERGY STAR products often provide additional financial incentives such as sales tax exemptions or credits, or rebates on qualified products. In many cases, you may also be eligible for federal tax credits, as well as recycling incentives for the proper disposal of old products.

Home products including TVs, refrigerators, kitchen appliances, office equipment, heating and cooling systems, and other devices have ENERGY STAR ratings and will use much less power than older or inefficient products. We highly recommend that you visit our green store to browse the latest energy efficiency products available for purchase through our partner Amazon.com!

To learn more about ENERGY STAR please visit www.energystar.gov.

Savings: $

Even when turned off, electronic devices and appliances still use some electricity when plugged in. This phenomenon is known as "stand-by power" or "phantom loads" and can draw as much power as several light bulbs left on 24 hours/day – up to 15% of your entire electric bill! While some devices should not be completely turned off (e.g., DVRs and cable boxes) most devices such as your TV, audio system, speakers, gaming systems, monitors, and printers should be completely unplugged from the outlet. However, unplugging appliances every day is simply not practical.

The solution is to use a smart power strip for your home office or entertainment center that can completely power off some devices while leaving others on with the flip of single switch. Some energy strips are even smarter and intelligently turn off other devices without requiring you to touch the power strip. Visit our green store to find the most popular energy saving power strips from our partner Amazon.com.

How do smart power strips work? One of the plugs is considered the control device. For example, let’s say you plug your TV into this designated plug. When you turn off your TV, the power strip knows the TV is turned off and it completely shuts off the AC power to the TV and 2-3 other designated plugs on the same strip. These are the plugs you would use to power your audio or gaming systems, which do not need to remain powered on when the TV is off. There are other plugs on the same strip that remain on – you would plug you DVR and cable box into these because it’s best to keep them powered on at all times so you don’t have to wait for the long reboot times.

Savings: $

Many water heaters (whether gas or electric) are often set unnecessarily high. In many cases, we find that water is heated to 140°F or more. This is simply a waste of energy and money. You will save money if you lower your water temperature to 120-125°F, but do not go below 120°F.

Also, please follow the proper instructions when adjusting the water temperature on your water heater. We also recommend testing the temperature of the hot water running from your faucet (make sure to wait until the water is turned on as hot as possible and the thermometer reading stabilizes) because the temperature dials on water heaters are not always accurate.

Savings: $

Remember to always turn off your lights when leaving a room. Turning off just one 60-watt incandescent bulb that would otherwise burn eight hours a day can save about $15 per year! Considering the typical house has over 30 lights, the savings really start to add up!

There are also more advanced solutions such as motion sensors and timers that can help to save electricity. We encourage the use of these products , although the payback is best in high use areas such as public places, in businesses, or where safety is an issue such as outdoor night lights.

In addition to turning off your lights, we strongly recommend replacing your standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or LEDs.   It’s one of the easiest ways to start saving money and environment immediately. 

Savings: multiplicative!

We appreciate your interest in saving the environment and hope you are willing to take steps towards adopting some of the new technologies and solutions we list on this website. 

Part of the challenge (and the reason we started this website) is to educate people about basic green living. Whether it’s signing up to receive our newsletter, referring friends to our website to take our free Online Home Energy Audit or simply surfing the web…green education is the first step to a better tomorrow.

In our seminars and presentations, we suggest that everyone “green the coffee table” – or get one book on energy efficiency for your coffee table. It will spur great conversation and help you to spread the word. You can find many good books on energy savings through our partner Amazon.com.