A water saver faucet that only pours when you put pressure on a small lever can cost about $17 but can save 2.2 gallons per minute of water flow.
Wrap your old water heater with insulation to minimize heat loss. $20 can reduce your home energy use by up to 9% per month!
A programmable thermostat costs $36 but can reduce home energy use by 33% per month! Til recently, your baseboard radiators were just going to run when they ran. No mas! Programmable thermostats are now available for baseboard heat!
A chimney, even when the damper is closed, is like leaving a door ajar. Install a $40 balloon damper to prevent 14% of home heat loss, and reduce energy use by at least 7%.
Keep a bucket next to the shower. Use the water running while it heats up to water your indoor plants or garden!
Install foam light-switch and electrical plate sealers to minimize the air infiltration from these devices (which prevent insulation from being installed in the wall.) Installing the little foam inserts costs nearly nothing - 33 cents per outlet, but can save up to 2% of your energy bills per month!!
Attach all your appliances and electrical devices to a surge protector, and turn it off when you are gone. Removing these “phantom loads” can decrease your home energy use by 20% per month!
Use your energy-smart dishwasher. Yes, I’m serious. A full load of dishes can use 6 times less water than handwashing!
Clothes dryers use at least six percent of all household electricity consumption and 10-15 percent of domestic energy in the U.S. Use a clothesline on the south or west side of your home to minimize the use of these expensive appliances!
If you have a lawn, be sure it’s seeded with native grasses. If you don’t currently, seed your lawn over with natives and allow the old grass to die. The cost savings in water use will be amazing!
If you have an existing standard fireplace, purchase a fireplace insert which will help you retain up to 60% more heat using less fuel. You can also purchase a wood stove insert for your existing fire box for even more heat capture.
Be careful when using bamboo if you are renovating. Make sure it’s been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), as non certified bamboo is often harvested earlier than it should be, rendering it not strong enough to last. Bamboo that is not certified is also harvested in ways that are harmful for the environment.
Old toilet not in bad enough shape to replace? Displace water in the tank by filling a 2-liter plastic soda bottle filled with coins, sand or pebbles to save 1/2 gallon per flush. OR Install a toilet dam if you have old toilets and want to use them til they die before replacing them, and thus keeping them out of a landfill. These hold back about 1.3 gallons per flush. Rondell makes a $100 dual-flush retrofit device so you can have light and heavy flush options. For a free alternative, take a water bottle, fill it, and put it in your toilet tank. This will displace some of the water and let your toilet think it’s fuller than it is. Thereby, turning it “off” earlier.
Use the water from cooking veggies, once it’s cooled, to water your garden and indoor plants. The nutrients from the veggies will feed the plants. Don’t use potato water.
Add an evergreen screen of arborvitae on the north side of your home to block winter winds which make your heating system work harder. These plants can grow up to 3’ per year. Plant them at least 10 feet from your home.
Use 12 medium-sized plants per 1000 SF to recycle your entire home’s air in 24 hours. Plants can remove toxic chemicals from the air, including formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide. The best plants include Bamboo Palm, Chinese Evergreen, English Ivy, Gerbera Daisy, Janet Craig Dracaena, Dracaena Marginata, Dracaena Massangeana/Corn plant, Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, Chrysantheiums, Peace Lily, and Dracaena “Warneckii”
If you’d like to make your landscaping work for your energy savings, place at least 2 @ 10’ tall deciduous trees 6-10’ from the building on the southwest side or corner of the house. An evergreen or deciduous tree on the southeast corner will also help if you have hot mornings. Fill the space below with smaller deciduous and evergreen shrubs, plants, and small trees. This will prevent the ground from reflecting heat back up under your eaves, will provide shade, and will help cool the space around your house through evaporation. Many flowering plants that need heat to flower will love these places. (Northern hemisphere only, if in the Southern hemisphere, reverse this and locate the trees on the Northwest corner.) Just remember not to plant a tree within 5’ of the edge of the building, nor plants within 2’.
Install a rainbarrel! Rainbarrels are a popular way to start harvesting your rainwater now, especially in urban areas! They are relatively inexpensive and can be installed along the side of your home, under a deck, or in other unused spaces.
Run your appliances – especially dishwashers and laundry – in the late evening when peak load is minimized and the electric company is producing more power than it needs.
Do you have an extra $5 per month and really want to change the way utility companies do business? Go to the DOE 
Can I Buy Green Power in My State? Website at http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/buying_power.shtml and then call your utility company and switch to green power. It will take you less than 10 minutes, and for an extra few bucks a month, you’ll be putting your utility company on notice that you want better practices out of them.
Can I Buy Green Power in My State? Website at http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/buying_power.shtml and then call your utility company and switch to green power. It will take you less than 10 minutes, and for an extra few bucks a month, you’ll be putting your utility company on notice that you want better practices out of them.If it ain’t broke, don’t replace it. BUT When Bandaids are not an Option:
Energy Saving Upgrades that offer Tax Credits
Insulation & Sealing Air Leaks
Install cellulose-based spray foam and caulk all your edges to to save 15-20% on heating and cooling. Rebates are available up to $750 from some state govt’s.
Biomass Stoves
A qualified wood or pellet stove can cost $1,700 to $4,000 but they can also save 30-50% of your heating costs if you use oil or electricity. Annual fuel costs can run from $300 to $600, on par with natural gas. Use reclaimed fall timber rather than fresh cut when possible. Some models can require a different chimney, though, so watch out for that, as it can easily be a thousand-dollar addition.
Water Heaters
You can save up to 50% on water heating costs by replacing your water heater with a $2,000 energy-rated one. This is most helpful when supplying a house full of people or a large demand of warm water. Tankless models are very efficient, but the tradeoff is they do make some noise, so be prepared for that. GE and Rheem are making tank heaters that are supplied by dual power sources including a air-source heat pump, which they claim matches water heating savings of tankless models.
Roofs
Is it time to replace your roof? Install a roof in mid-tones like khaki or grey rather than silver, black, or white to absorb heat during the winter when costs are most high. This can save up to 10% on heating.
Exterior Windows and Doors
Only replace old doors and windows if they are irreparable, or built of something other than wood. If you have old wood windows that are just in disrepair, they are often cheaper to repair. You can also install decent storm windows for about $100 to save as much as 20 percent on your heating bill in colder climates. Look for “low-E” coatings and energy star ratings released after October 2009 when energy standards were made tougher. Count on replacement prices starting at $200 per window and $300 per door, but savings in heating and cooling to be about 20 percent.
