What are the best ways to make my home more energy efficient?

change light bulbs as they burn out with CFL's Insulation is a great idea, better seals on windows and doors Solar panels and wind mills are a waste of money unless you have a 4000 square foot house in Hollywood, CA

Without knowing your house it's impossible to say what will be most effective. Here is what I would do. 1) Get a thermal image of your house. That will show you where you are losing heat, or in summer where hot air enters the house.That info will let you know where insulation will make the most difference. 2) Insulation. Don't go to Home Depot, call a few insulation contractors for suggestions and estimates. Show them the thermal pictures from step 1. 3) Upgrade windows and exterior doors. Your house might already have energy efficient windows and doors. I have no way to know that. 4) Upgrade to a more efficient heating and cooling system. This can be expensive but can reap huge benefits. Talk to knowledgeable heating contractors. 5) Water heaters and other large appliances use a lot of energy. Spending hundreds of dollars to replace things that still work probably won't save much money but comparing specs when something needs replacing is worthwhile. 6) Energy saving lights won't make much difference but every little bit helps. Wait for them to go on sale instead of rushing to buy them. I tried LED lights but they weren't bright enough so I use CFLs. 7) Low flow shower heads reduce the amount of hot water a household uses. 8) Putting your electric water heater on a switch or timer can save enough energy to make a difference in power bills. I shut mine off when I leave in the morning and when I go to bed. That is about 18 hours a day I am not heating water. Either shut it off at the circuit breaker or an electrician can install a switch for a small fee. If the breaker box is not in a convenient spot it is worth getting a switch in a place you will be more likely to use it. Solar panels and windmills are not good investments unless there is a tax credit to offset the purchase ind installation price. Without government interfering with the free market the payback on your investment would take too long.

Before you begin... You have to know your starting point. This is something you can figure out for yourself, perhaps even you company can get free government assistance. The EPA’s Energy Star program (energystar.gov) offers a set of tools called Portfolio Manager to help you gauge your energy and water use and has developed spreadsheets (‘energy performance indicators’) that allow you to estimate your consumption. Next Step: Way's You Can Save... How you retrofit your home depends on how it’s configured and operated, as well as its location. Ideally, renovation would be simultaneous, because efficiencies multiply when retrofits are coordinated. But when that’s not possible, follow this order Start with insulation. Insulation can slash your monthly cooling costs in excess of 50 percent. Next go to lighting. Overhead lighting is the biggest electricity hog in the typical homes, and the tube dates from the 1930’s. Moreover, the heat generated by such bulbs taxes the buildings cooling system. Replace the lamps with newer high-performance T8 (1 inch) tubes and the fixtures magnetic ballasts with electric ones, and you will reduce the electric load 42 percent. Reengineer the HVAC. Most builders typically install oversize systems even through air conditioners operate most efficiently at full power. The upshot: You can probably upgrade to a smaller system that uses less energy. Today’s cooling units are up to 40 percent more efficient that those built 20 years ago. Food For Thought: Look at whats on the horizon... SOLAR RENT TO OWN Home owners been reluctant to invest thousands of dollars in renewable-energy systems such as solar panels – and with good reason. Often these systems are very expensive and take years to recoup the investment, even with Federal, State and utility company incentives. And most people aren’t in the energy-production trade; such an endeavor can distract from your other duties. In recent years, however, so-called solar-services companies have appeared, to help home owners, like you, take advantage of their roofs. With a solar-services company, the client bears no upfront cost and no responsibility for upkeep; the solar provider installs the panels and operates them for the life of the contract. The energy firm sells the electricity back to the customer, usually at a discount off utility rates.

put a Brick in your cistern to save water install L.E.D lights or energy saving ones don't turn up the thermostat up put on a extra layer of clothes on sign up for a free ecourse at www.maopublishing.com/GoingGreen/ecourse my friend recommend this course because it saves you money as well as the environment

You should have your house converted into a tent. That way, you'll cut back on the amount of electricity you use by 100%. If it was up to psychos like Al Gore, everyone would probably be forced to do that!

depending on your individual needs they all could help here's an article that might help you go green for cheap

http://environment.about.com/b/2007/09/14/how-to-make-eco-friendly-home-improvements.htm

Plant sedum on your roof! Bury the back half of your house so that it's partially submerged in earth! On the part of your roof that isn't covered in dirt or plants, let the rainwater go down the gutter, into a huge storage bin, so you can use it to take showers! Build an outhouse, use it for your bathroom needs, and just fill it back in with dirt and build a new one every six months, something like that.