Upgrade Your Home
Your Family, Your Future
The average home can cut its energy bills by 50 percent.
Our site has many tips to help you save energy, but if your time is limited, this page will show you the best of the best habits, tips and upgrades.
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Incentives & Services
This step-by-step guide will show you the best ways to improve home comfort and save money on your energy bills. You'll also find information on financial assistance as well as videos, links and more.
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Today: Learn, Plan, and Start Saving Immediately
- Learn the best energy saving habits and start using them right away.
- Reduce air conditioning costs by using fans, keeping windows and doors shut and closing shades during the day.
- During the summer, a 5°F higher setting on your air conditioning thermostat will save about 10% on cooling costs.
- Turn off lights and electronics when you leave the room. Every time.
- Make a schedule and set aside time for either a do-it yourself home energy audit, or a professional audit.
- Related: Watch Energy Star's home savings video.
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This Week: Easy Fixes, Big Savings
Watch Video on Programmable Thermostats »
- Replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs. This can start saving you 75% off your lighting bill right away.
- Buy a programmable thermostat and install it to save up to $160 per year. Watch Video »
- Buy power strips and plug in your electronics. When appliances are not in use, turn off the strip to cut stand-by power usage.
- Stock up on supplies to seal leaks, gaps, and cracks. Depending on your home's needs, you'll most likely want: caulk, sealant, and weatherstripping.
- Assess the status of your home's heating and cooling system:
This Month: The Audit, Basic Upgrades, Improved Savings & Comfort
Watch Video on Professional Audits »
"If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it." - Lord Byron
- Perform an energy audit to find out what the best improvements are for YOUR house, each home is different.
- Hire a professional for the most extensive analysis OR
- Do-it-yourself. Learn how to assess your own home.
- Watch videos on professional and do-it-yourself audits.
- Perform simple upgrades to save up to 20% on your energy bills. Watch the following do-it-yourself videos for guidance.
Tip: Now is a great time to check the rebate finder again. Rebates are available for many of the basic upgrades listed above, and you may also be able to find free or reduced-fee energy audits.
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This Year and Beyond: Efficient Appliances and Bigger Home Improvements
- If your heating or cooling system is old, look for a new, efficient system. Explore your options with our product guides.
- Efficient appliances: When buying new appliances such as a refrigerator or clothes washer, always buy ENERGY STAR qualified.
- Now that you have had your audit, consider adding insulation to your walls and attic if appropriate.
- Pass it on! Let your friends in on the savings and together we can take on global warming, and help create a better future for our communities and our planet.
- Tell 5 friends: Make a conscious effort to talk about efficiency with at least 5 people.
- Sign up for the e-Newswire and keep up-to-speed on the latest efficiency news.
- Tell us your story! We love to hear feedback. Email: info@fypower.org.
Financing
Smart financing means you can start saving energy right away with no additional monthly cost.
Home Equity Loans
Generally, you can deduct the interest from this loan from your taxes. There are two types of home equity loans.
- Fixed-Rate Loans: Fixed-rate loans provide a single, lump-sum payment to the borrower, repaid over a set period of time at a fixed interest rate. The payment and interest rate remain the same over the lifetime of the loan.
- Home-Equity Line of Credit: A home-equity line of credit (HELOC) is a variable-rate loan that works a lot like a credit card and sometimes comes with one. Borrowers are pre-approved for a spending limit and can withdraw money when they need it via a credit card or special check. Monthly payments vary based on the amount of money borrowed and the current interest rate. Like fixed-rate loans, the HELOC has a set term. When the end of the term is reached, the outstanding loan amount must be repaid in full.
Lendors: ENERGY STAR - California Lendors and Green Energy Loans
Advice For Renters
Talk to your landlord about upgrading your home to a more energy-efficient one. You can agree to an increase in rent equivalent to the amount that you save each month on your energy bill, which will allow your landlord to pay off the upgrade quickly while increasing the comfort level and value of the property. There are several third-party financiers that can help your landlord finance such an upgrade and some will even finance solar and wind.
Additional Resources
"If we use resources productively and take to heart the lessons learned from coping with the energy crisis, we face a future confronted only, as Pogo once said, by insurmountable opportunities. The many crises facing us should be seen, then, not as threats, but as chances to remake the future so it serves all beings." - L. Hunter Lovins and Amory B. Lovins, Utne Reader, November-December, 1989.