Our home guzzles up a lot of energy and though you may be living a greener lifestyle taking public transportation or carrying re-usable bags at the shops, there are still a lot to be done at the domestic department. Many studies now prove the devastating results of carbon emission on global warming and as carers of this planet, we must do our bit to guarantee the safe conditions we’ve had for the future generation.

And perhaps the simplest way to do that is at home and striving to make our humble abodes eco-friendly as much as possible. Here are some tips to get this going.

1. Grab a power usage meter

Having this device will make you more aware of just how much energy is the family consuming, straight to your faces. An electricity monitor will give you an idea how much energy each appliance is churning. Some versions allows you to input the current prices at your area so it can calculate the cost of your electricity consumption as well as carbon emissions.

You’ll be surprised how much energy is saved by merely turning down your heater a notch or turning off the lights at night. The information you get instantly and in real time is enough to compel you to be more mindful of your energy consumption and hopefully encourage you to habitually turn off that TV when no one is actually watching.

2. Say No to incandescent

This conventional lighting wastes a lot of energy through heat and less on actual light. So use fluorescent instead as this product works cooler, literally. Plus it gives you more light which is what actually matters. A 20-watt fluorescent bulb emits the same brightness as a 75-watt incandescent bulb.

And it will typically last between 6,000 and 8,000 hours. For your information, almost 12% of your electricity consumption are from light sources so there is huge savings to be had merely by switching products. Energy saving bulbs consumes only 20% of energy compared to the rate of a standard light bulb. So that’s 80% worth of savings for you.

3. Use the power of the sun and the wind

Avoid always reaching for the light switch or better yet avoid plugging one. Consider solar-powered lighting solutions for outdoors, the patio or barbecue area as often, all you require at night is to cast a glow anyway. There are now many LED products available at the shops including lanterns that are also better as this type of lights require less energy and last longer. There are also many benefits to be had from installing solar panels on your roof.

The discount you’ll gain in your monthly electricity bill over the long term is enough justification. It may be an expensive lay out initially but check online for any government subsidies available. And should you be living in an area that is windy then take advantage of the savings to be had with a wind turbine. There are models now that is just as small as a TV antenna that you can possibly place on the roof or on a pole. Look for your options online or ask your Energy Department for this alternative source of power.

4. Be a turn-it-off freak

Keep in mind that even appliances, gizmos and gadgets that are in stand by mode consumes energy. It may seem little but if I am sure there are more five that are switched now at your home. Thus adding it all up is still significant and on average is similar to having a few lights on 24/7. So better re-think your switch and consider using a switch board instead that you can conveniently turn on and off without having to reach behind your entertainment unit. Otherwise get one of those cheap long wooden back scratchers to use

Do a round at night before going to bed and switch appliances off. Otherwise they’ll be eating up unnecessary electricity as you sleep and while you are away at work. And that’s a lot of hours. Same goes for small phone or media player charges. And please just turn your computer off for the night and do not make the screen saver as your nightlight as it still uses the  same power as a regular screen does.

5. Embrace the digital age. It is time to stop paper subscriptions and switch to online reading instead. Dead trees should no longer be on your things to be guilty of list as you can still get access to your daily news and entertainment digitally. And it often costs the same or even cheaper.

Less newspaper subscription means less demand for paper and less rubbish and less products to be recycled. You are saving heaps of energy in the process and saving a few bucks too.