Save on Energy Bills with the Energy Diet

Just follow the tips below and trim down your energy use today.

• Use energy efficient light bulbs to reduce your carbon footprint. Also, they tend to last much longer than regular light bulbs, so you'll save money in the longer term as well. Lighting could account for as much as a quarter of your monthly electricity payments, and CFLs reduce energy consumption for lighting by about 80 percent.
• If you plan on insulating your home for the upcoming spring season, make sure to use environmentally friendly materials. These come in all shapes and sizes, including cellulose, reflective radiant barrier, mushrooms, wool, fiberglass and foam.
• Turn up the thermostat at night and during the day when no one is home. This gets much easier if you have a programmable thermostat installed. Lowering the temperature in your house for 8 hours by just 1 degree can save about 1 percent on your energy bills.
• Turn off the lights when you are not in the room. It sounds simple, but over time the savings can really add up. Think about every kilowatt saved each month by turning lights off when you're not in the room, and multiply that out by your current electricity rate.
• Washing clothes in cold water can reduce your carbon footprint by lowering the amount of energy required for each load of laundry. When you consider the power it takes just to get the washing machine running, plus the gas or electricity required to heat the water, the costs for your energy bill could be staggering. Washing in cold water makes the process much more efficient and you'll notice it in your bills.
• Unplug all appliances and electronics that are not used often. If you're not careful, these appliances can continue to suck energy from your home even when they are not on. Think about everything in your house that's plugged in, 24/7, 365 days a year. Do you know how much those could be costing you each month?
• Replace your air filters often. Air filters are designed to keep out the particles that could harm your air-conditioning unit. They also help to make it run more efficiently, slashing your energy usage substantially. Be sure that your filters are up to date, as it's easy to forget when to replace them. In addition, turn the A/C off and open your windows when the weather is nice outside. Let mother nature do the work for you when you can - it's free!