Living Room

Setback thermostat

• Heating your home accounts for as much as 50 per cent of your home energy bill. Install a setback thermostat and reduce your home temperature by 3 C for at least eight hours a day to save three to four per cent on heating costs.
• Program your thermostat to lower the heat while you're sleeping or out, and to raise it before you wake up or get home.

Trees and Shrubs

• Shrubs and trees around your house will shade your windows in summer and help protect your house from chilly winds in winter.

Furnace

• Change your furnace filter frequently during winter and it will burn cleaner and uses less energy. Keep floor and wall registers clean to encourage airflow.

Electric blanket

• Consider using an electric blanket instead of a space heater. They are safe and an electric blanket can consume 90 per cent less power than a space heater.

Drapes

• Install full blinds or drapes to make your home more comfortable in summer. Open them in winter to use solar energy as an additional heat source.

Stand by power

• Shut down electronic equipment when it's not in use.
• Plug your electronics into a single power bar so you can switch off the bar when you've finished using them. TVs and DVDs still use energy when they are in standby mode.
• When buying new home entertainment equipment, look for ENERGY STAR qualified products. They use up to 50 per cent less electricity when in standby mode.
• Unplug battery chargers as soon as the device is fully charged or when the charger is not being used.

Heating/cooling

• If you have a fireplace, you could be losing heat when air flows through the chimney. Talk to your chimney sweep for ways to reduce air flow when the fireplace is not in use.
• If you use air conditioning, keep your windows closed and shades or curtains tightly drawn on the sunny side of your house. In winter, save energy by opening your shades in the morning on the eastern and southern sides of your house, and closing them late in the day.

Lighting

• Compact fluorescent lights use up to 75 per cent less energy compared to incandescent bulbs and last 8 times longer. They are good choices in areas where lights are on continuously for more than 3 hours a day.
• Try dimmer switches on all frequently used lights (only compact fluorescent lights designed for dimmers will work on dimmer switches).
• Use task lighting to save energy. Concentrate bright light only where it is needed instead of lighting the entire room brightly.
• ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent torchiere lamps use approximately 70 per cent less electricity than halogen lamps.