Think of it as a home energy efficiency lab that is not run by a government agency…
I’ll be investigating and actively experimenting with easy, do it yourself ways for every home to save money on energy bills. All the reports that come from the lab will include costs and approximate savings, as well as raw data – so you can make the most informed decision possible.
Of course, if you have anything you might want me to look into, or check out on your behalf, feel free to send me a …

Finding and setting the optimal temperature may be a science in itself. You have to take into account the heat you use with your comfort level based on your activity.
For example is it necessary to have the heat turned way up at night while you’re asleep in your bed?
Do you need the heat turned off at any time?
You need to find the balance that suits you best.
I suggest playing with it some, but don’t make it too high or low.
In the winter set it no higher than 68 or 70 …

This is a lazy man’s dream. Having the lights turn on and off with no effort or action on your part to me is absolutely amazing, and perfect.
Place commonly used lights, like lamps in the living room, on simple timers. You can program them to turn on automatically at a certain time, and more importantly turn off at a designated time. There is no more forgetting to turn off the lights at night.
Plus there is the added security bonus of giving the illusion that you are home when …

This is kind of a double edge sword.
You can save on heating costs if you spend a lot of time, say, in the living room and you already took steps to plug energy holes you found. Like I said previously, its impossible to get every hole or energy shortcoming.
The thing to be wary about is the power consumption. Some can consume as much as 2000 Watts of power!
So here’s the trade off – more heat from the small electric unit means you might spend less on your gas …

Wait until night or evening (or on a cool day) to do chores or activities that generate heat.
Any additional heat you generate will just make the A/C work harder and longer.
Such activities include:

Baking or using the oven
Washing Dishes / Running Dishwasher
Laundry

The filter takes out a lot of dander, hair, pollen, etc from the air as it is fed into the furnace.
If the filter is dirty, less air is fed into the heating system, which means…yep, you guessed it. The furnace has to work harder by staying on longer to heat the available air. And the longer it runs, the more it costs.
Some will advise you to change it every 60 or 90 days. I’d still recommend every 30 days, especially if you have pets or an older house …

Here’s a sad fact: when many Americans move or change homes, they often expect a change in their energy bills. Most of the time, they expect that moving into a better home means their energy bills would decrease by an incredible margin. This is simply not the case.
In fact, many people’s high energy bills follow them from home to home, despite have energy star appliances and better insulation.
Why?
People don’t realize that their energy habits can account for as much as 50% of wasted energy. That means 50% of the “overage” …

An energy audit is the single best way for you to realistically save money every month on all your energy bills. Energy efficiency experts and contractors and energy companies have known this for a long time. That is why they offer them, often at a premium price or bundled with another service or installation.
But the truth is an energy audit isn’t all that difficult. In fact, you can do a basic, rudimentary energy audit yourself right now. It only takes an hour or so, tops, to do a simple top …

Here’s a little secret for those of you who may be looking for a home and are energy conscious. Newer, high efficiency furnaces do not have an exhaust pipe that rises vertically (up through the roof of the house). The exhaust is actually sent out usually through a PVC pipe at an angle towards a side of the house. It may rise up from there, but it never goes straight up from the furnace like older, inefficient units.

When you are buying a new home, here are some things to look for to ensure you keep your energy bills low:

Look for energy efficient appliances. Most of the time they will still have the energy guide sticker on them. Check the efficiency and relative costs.
Check the age and condition of the delivery ducts and vents
Ask what the last HVAC job was. If someone installed central air or a new furnace after the home was built, there is an excellent chance the installer did due diligence and inspected the house …