The average American family spends about $1,500 a year on utility bills, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute. This could be reduced dramatically by making a few adjustments and improvements. Some energy-saving measures are simple and inexpensive, while others more complex and costly. This checklist will help you figure out where to start. Some of the cheapest, easiest retrofits will save you the most. When you are ready to get started, the Southface Energy Institute offers a free downloadable guide called “Home Energy Projects: An Energy Conservation Guide for Do-It Yourselfers.” It provides a lot of information on how to perform the tasks yourself, where to get the material, and how much it will cost.

Where to begin
• Determine your savings. Collect a year’s worth of utility bills and divide their total by the heated square footage of your home. According to RMI, most bills are about $.60-$.90 per square foot. If you are in this range, or even higher, the low-cost and no-cost measures will be a great place to start. 
• Assess your house. Measure the thickness of the insulation in your attic, basement and walls. What is the age and condition of your HVAC system and water heater? Is your home drafty?
• Determine the financial incentives. There are currently federal incentives for upgrading water heaters, HVAC, insulation etc.  Visit http://www.energytaxincentives.org/consumers and http://www.dsireusa.org for a comprehensive list.
• Consider a comprehensive audit. The directory includes a list of Building Performance Contractors (see Listings). These trained professionals will come to your home and perform an energy audit. They can recommend improvements and provide contracting services, if you would prefer not to do the work yourself.

No-cost measures

Heating and cooling
• Set back your thermostat in the winter when you are not at home or when you go to bed at night.
• Make sure your fireplace damper is closed and sealed.
• Keep your filters clean.
• Keep shades drawn on sunny days in summer and after sunset in winter.
• If it doesn’t have glass doors, do not use your fireplace when the heat is on.
• Close heating vents in unused rooms.

Water and water heating
• Turn down the thermostat on your water heater to 120°F.
• Use energy-saving settings on dishwashers and washing machines.
• When possible, use cold water for rinsing dishes, for running food disposals and for laundry.
• Do not leave the water running continuously when brushing teeth, washing hands or rinsing dishes.
• Run your clothes washer and dishwasher only when full.

Lighting and appliances
• Clean your refrigerator condenser coils.
• Avoid the heat-dry feature on your dishwasher.
• Air dry your clothes instead of using a clothes dryer.
• Keep the dryer exhaust vent clean.
• Turn off lights when you leave a room.
• Use toaster ovens, pressure cookers or other small appliances instead of the oven when possible.

Low-cost measures

Heating and cooling
• Install a programmable thermostat for about $30.
• Repair any broken window panes.
• Change your air filter. Be careful when choosing a new air filter. High MERV filters work great for air quality, but they may adversely affect the performance of your system by causing too much resistance.
• Seal holes, leaks and gaps through walls, ceiling and floor using caulk or spray foam. Some holes may be large enough that they require rigid blocking before sealing.
• Install gaskets on electrical outlets ($5).
• Weatherstrip doors and windows ($25-$50).
• Insulate and weatherstrip your attic hatch or door.
• Insulate knee walls by putting rigid backing on any vertical walls between the house and the attic.
• Seal your ductwork with mastic, and then have a tune up on your heating and cooling system. Duct leakage can increase your heating/cooling bill by 10 to 30 percent and compromise your air quality.

Water and water heating
• Install low-flow, WaterSense-rated faucets and showerheads ($1-$4).
• Install an insulating jacket on your water heater ($17).
• Insulate your hot water pipes.
• Repair leaky faucets and toilets. The WNC Green Building Council has tablets available for determining if you have a leaky toilet ($5-$10).
• Install a timer for your water heater so it only heats water when needed ($40).
• Install a rainbarrel for outdoor watering ($25-$100).
• Install a toilet tank bag to reduce the amount of water used per flush ($2).

Lighting and appliances
• Switch out inefficient incandescent bulbs to energy-saving compact fluorescents ($2 each).
• Plug appliances into a power strip that can easily be turned off to reduce ghost loads.

Higher-cost measures with a quick payback

Heating and cooling
• Insulate your ductwork to R-8.
• Install insulating blinds and shades, or add insulating storm windows.
• Have a blower door test performed to identify more leaks in the building envelope and seal them well. Consider adding ventilation, depending on the air tightness you reach.
• Install R-38 insulation in the attic (make sure all holes are sealed first!).
• Install R-19 insulation in your floors (make sure all holes are sealed first!).

Water heating
• Install a high-efficiency or a gas-tankless water heater.

Lighting and appliances
• Replace inefficient appliances with Energy Star-rated refrigerators, dishwashers, washers and dryers.

Higher-cost measures with a long-term payback

Heating and cooling
• Install wall insulation. Blown cellulose can be installed in existing walls.
• Install ceiling fans.
• Replace your central heating and air system with a more efficient model.
• Install exterior solar shade screens, awnings or removable trellises where appropriate to shade from overheating in the summer.
• Replace windows with double-paned low-e windows with a U-value of less than .35.

Water heating
• Convert to solar water heating. Consider integrating it with space heating. The current tax credits available make it much more affordable than ever before.

Sources for this fact sheet include Southface Energy Institute, “Home Energy Projects: An Energy Efficient Conservation Guide for Do-It-Yourselfers,” http://www.southface.org/web/resources&services/publications/large_pubs/Home-Energy-Projects.pdf and Rocky Mountain Institute, “Home Resource Efficiency,” http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid206.php.