Tame Your Home's Energy Hog

Heating and cooling your home with oil, natural gas, propane or electricity certainly contributes to your home's carbon footprint. Keep the indoor temperature seasonable. Set your thermostat between 64° and 68°F in the winter.

To make your home heating and cooling as efficient as possible, beef up your insulation and fill any leaks with caulk or weather stripping. For a little extra money, invest in an Energy Star-certified programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat can help you cut your energy use by a third, compared with a manual thermostat, by allowing you to set different temperatures for different times of the day and days of the week.

If you haven't already done so, change your incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). CFLs are now available in different hues and styles including those designed for outdoors as well as dimmer and three-way switches. A single CFL uses about 75% less electricity than an incandescent bulb and lasts 10 times longer, adding up to about a $45 savings over the bulb's lifetime. Most retailers, including Home Depot, recycle CFLs for free. While CFLs do contain a small amount of mercury, there's no need to worry about bringing in a HazMat team if a bulb breaks. Just follow the instructions on the EPA's Web site.

Upgrade appliances

If you're able to invest a little more money, you can reduce your home's carbon footprint even further. Upgrade your appliances to Energy Star models. (To keep your old appliances out of a landfill, sell them on Craigslist or donate them to a nonprofit.) Energy Star appliances use 10% to 50% less energy than older models, saving you about $180 a year.