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As the evidence that going green saves you green continues to mount, there has never been a better time to improve the efficiency of your home's energy systems. Whether you're a novice, just getting started with some quick upgrades, or a seasoned pro with the R-values of your attic insulation committed to memory, conducting a home energy audit is a great way to help point you in the direction you need to go next.
To help you out, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has put together a Home Energy Saver Web-based audit tool; just grab your energy, gas and water bills and start plugging in the numbers. It might require a bit of homework first-the calculator asks some pretty specific questions, but the more specific information you can provide it, the more accurate its calculation will be, so it's worth the time to figure out everything you can (and a good excuse to get to know your home better, if you don't).
Right off the bat, it'll tell you the potential savings for your home, based on your zip code and the average costs of heating, cooling, lighting, and generally running your home in your area, and it's likely to be a big difference (mine was over $600 a year!). You can also use their handy tools to see the equivalent energy use and carbon footprint of each of your systems, which is a great way to contextualize your potential savings.
From there, it's a matter of filling in the blanks and letting the calculator do its work. Depending on what you told it-how long you're willing to wait for return on investment, what your current energy costs are-the calculator can recommend some efficiency upgrades, and tell you what you stand to save given your current energy costs and the climate in which you live.
If you've already started trying to make your home more efficient, you'll probably run into a few duplicates; if you've already done something on the list, pat yourself on the back and move on-chances are, there's something we could all do after an audit. After calculating, you can follow their links to Energy Star and the U.S. Department of Energy, which has more tips for consumers. Get started today at ::Home Energy Saver
Difficulty level: Easy to Moderate
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