Got the itch for energy conservation? Pick the low fruit first. It's fast and easy and it save you the most money!

• I...Insulation

  We retrofit existing homes to give you the insulation our values you need to save energy and money every day, every month and every year for it as long as you own the home.
  Inadequate insulation and air leakage are leading causes of energy waste in the home. Added insulation can make your home more comfortable by helping to maintain a uniform temperature. Check the insulation in your attic, ceilings, basement walls and crawl spaces to see if it meets the Department of Energy recommended levels. Insulation is measured in R-values – the higher the R-value, the better your walls and roofs will resist heat transfer.

• C...Compact fluorescence

  Switching from traditional light bulbs (called incandescent) to CFLs is an effective, simple change everyone in America can make right now. Making this change will help to use less electricity at home and prevent greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global climate change. Lighting accounts for close to 20 percent of the average home’s electric bill. ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy (electricity) than incandescent light bulbs, last up to 10 times longer, cost little up front, and provide a quick return on investment.

  If every home in America replaced just one incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL, in one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes. That would prevent the release of greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of about 800,000 cars.

• T...Programmable thermostat's

  Did you know that properly using a programmable thermostat in your home is one of the easiest ways you can save energy, money, and help fight global warming? An ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostat helps make it easy for you to save by offering four pre-programmed settings to regulate your home’s temperature in both summer and winter — when you are asleep or away.

  The average household spends more than $2,200 a year on energy bills — nearly half of which goes to heating and cooling. Homeowners can save about $180 a year by properly setting their programmable thermostats and maintaining those settings.

• H...Heating with solar

  One of the most cost-effective ways to include renewable technologies into a building is by incorporating solar hot water.

  A typical residential solar water-heating system reduces the need for conventional water heating by about two-thirds. It minimizes the expense of electricity or fossil fuel to heat the water and reduces the associated environmental impacts.
  
  Solar water heaters use the sun to heat either water or a heat-transfer fluid in the collector. Heated water is then held in the storage tank ready for use, with a conventional system providing additional heating as necessary. The tank can be a modified standard water heater, but it is usually larger and very well insulated. Solar water heating systems can be either active or passive, but the most common are active systems.