These days conserving energy is of global proportions. Not only are you helping the environment but can also save money with these every day little changes. Changes that may not even be noticed except on your utility bills, going down.

An energy efficient home can reduce your energy bills up to 40%. Yes 40%!!!

How much can you save? Check out the savings calculator

If you live in a typical U.S. home, your appliances and home electronics are responsible for about 20 percent of your energy bills. If you are looking to replace an appliance, check for the energy star rating. These appliances and electronics include the following:

You can increase the efficiency of your washer & dryer.

• Regularly clean the lint from your dryer. Use the moisture setting to reduce run time.

• If you are looking for a new washer choose one with a front-loader. Front-loader models use 25% less energy than a standard model and use less water.
• Use warm/cold or cold/cold cycle and you can save 10 cents a load.

• A dishwasher that is 50% full uses almost as much as a full dishwaser. Load it Up and only run your diswasher when you have a full load.
• Air dry your dishes in the dishwasher

Turn off your computer and audio equipment at night....Hmmm is it really off? No, it's not. Do you see all those little lights, the blue, the red, the light on your computer monitor? All these use energy. Use a power strip and really turn off the lights.

Does that dripping keep you up at night?

• Repair leaking faucets
• Install low flow shower heads
• Install toilet tummy bags
• Set your hot waterheater to 120 degrees
• Keep your water heater warm and insulate it
• Make sure all outside water sources are turned off

This will save you approximately $30 a year.

• Maintain a temperature of 37 - 40 degrees
• Choose a refrigerator/freezer with automatic moisture control
• Placement of a refrigerator is important, is it in the sun?
• Is the refrigerator pushed up against the wall, allow space so the compressor doesn't have to work as hard.

• Replacing a single incandescent bulb with an energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulb (one of those "squiggly bulbs") can save up to $50 over the bulb's lifetime.
• Don't forget to turn the lights off when you are not in the room.

Heating your home uses about 38% of your energy, use these tips below and save money by doing it yourself.

• Set your home thermostat as low as comfortable (65 to 68 degrees F is suggested) when the house is occupied.
• Set back the thermostat by as much as 10 F at night or when the house is unoccupied during the day.
• Set back the thermostat to 50 to 55 F when the house is unoccupied for over 24 hours.
• Install a programmable thermostat to automatically provide the setbacks mentioned above.
• Close the fireplace damper - except during fireplace use.
• Reduce heat to unused rooms in the house - close doors and heat registers too.
• Close curtains and shades at night.
• Replace furnace filters once a month during the heating season.
• Remove any obstructions and clean heating registers regularly.
• Install insulating gaskets behind electrical outlets and switch plates on exterior walls.
• Caulk and weatherstrip doors and windows.
• Caulk and seal leaks where plumbing, ducting or electrical wiring penetrates through exterior walls, floors, and ceilings.

• Open windows at night to bring in cool night air; close them during the day.
• Close drapes during the day.
• Shade west facing windows.
• Draw cool night air into the house with a whole house fan.
• Install an evaporative cooler.
• Use room air conditioning only where needed and install energy efficient models.
• Install a central system air conditioner only when whole house air conditioning is needed.
• Maintain an air conditioned house at 78 F or higher.
• Regularly change air conditioning system filters and clean the condenser.
• Plant deciduous shade trees on the west and south sides of your house.