You can cut energy costs in your home with some new paradigm thinking, some commitment and the use of new tools for slowly changing your lifestyle.

One tool is Home Energy Saver's Web-based do-it-yourself (DIY) energy audit. If you try it, you'll note it can help you specifically. When I tried it out, realizing we may not live in the same location, I selected Lebanon, Kansas — the geographic center of the contiguous United States — and found that, on average, folks in this area spend about $1,623 per year on energy but if they lived in the most energy-efficient home, that figure would drop to $897.

Investing in energy-efficient products helps bring down yearly energy costs, of course, though it may seem that paying more for the most energy-efficient appliance defeats the purpose. The problem with this thinking is that often the difference in cost is what's compared — say, for example, $100 more for the most efficient model; yet with several dollars off a monthly utility bill, the payback would simply take too long. The error in this thinking arises from not thinking past the short term, from not considering that the several dollars off today is going to increase through time because over the long run, costs for natural gas, electricity and gasoline will most likely rise significantly. The increasing world population and rising standard of living for millions combined with fossil fuels that are no longer plentiful fuels the argument for rising costs.

Continuing with this tool, I filled in the Zip code for the community where I live. After calculating, I'd save $274 per year by spending more for the most energy-efficient devices and materials, the Web site noted I should check the energy efficiency of the following:

1. Thermostat;
2. Dishwasher;
3. Electric clothes dryer;
4. Indoor lights;
5. Gas water heater;
6. Clothes washer;
7. Air sealing;
8. Wall insulation;
9. Basement wall insulation;
10. Refrigerator;
11. Attic insulation;
12. Gas furnace;
13. Ceiling fan;
14. Windows;
15. Room air conditioner; and
16. Roof.

I have to admit, I could have done better in my purchase decisions and improvements. Not much of what I had bought over the last 17 years was highly efficient.

Next, I went to the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) section of its Web site for ideas on how to find air leaks and make other energy efficiency improvements. I learned I could use burning incense (or the old "wet hand" trick) to find incoming air entering from the outside. This enables me to do a better job of sealing four basement windows. Going through this process also reminded me to put some insulation on top of the attic hatch, as well as to replace my old garage door or at least put some insulation on it, too.

Actually, while I'm at it, I should buy and install some pipe covers for more of my hot water piping. I might also consider an extra wrap for the hot water heater.

As for lighting, about half my light bulbs are the energy-efficient fluorescent type, and my inclination is to turn them off whenever I leave a room. Yet the EERE explains that for most areas of the U.S., "a general rule-of-thumb for when to turn off a fluorescent light is if you leave a room for more than 15 minutes, it is probably more cost effective to turn the light off." In other words, if you leave the room for only less than 15 minutes, it's generally more cost effective to leave the light(s) on. "In areas where electric rates are high and/or during peak demand periods, this period may be as low as 5 minutes," the EERE says.

Turning off incandescent lights is more important in the summer because these bulbs produce a significant amount of heat, which air conditioners have to overcome and exhaust to outside.
The Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, which provides a DIY energy audit kit, reminds me to vacuum dust from the air conditioner filters again; this way, the fan motors don't have to work so hard.

A combination of investing in energy-efficient materials, simple research (a few clicks away these days!) and, above all, a willingness to make energy costs more of a priority at home will help me minimize the effect of quickly rising prices for fuels.

For additional tips for performing an informal home energy audit, check out the aforementioned sources and DIY Network's Home Energy Savings — Do-It-Yourself Home Inspection.

Resources

Home Energy Saver
Environmental Energy Technologies Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Audits
U.S. Dept. of Energy

Right Choice DIY Energy Audit Kit
Jackson Electric Membership Corp.

Home Energy Savings — Do-It-Yourself Home Inspection
DIY Network