The easiest way to go green & save money on your energy bills at the same time is have your home tested?for energy efficiency. Energy efficient homes use less power, saving you money while helping the environment.?

Here's a short list of some?simple things that you can do right now that can make your home more efficient.

Begin by checking for drafts around your doors, windows, fireplaces, attic entrances, etc. Basically, anywhere that you have an opening in your home's walls or ceilings put your hand next to it & see if you feel a slight breeze. Those slight breezes?will allow your warm air to leak out of your home in the winter & your cold air in the summer, which causes your furnace or air conditioner to work harder, costing you money… If you reduce these drafts you will save up to twenty-five percent on your energy bill per year, which adds up to serious savings over time.

Another way of?checking your home's energy efficiency is to?see how much & what type of insulation you have in your attic.?If it's less than the recommended amount, then your home is losing heat out of the roof.? By installing more insulation your home will hold in heat more effectively.?

Check your hot water heater tank as well. By adding an insulation blanket (which you can pick up for $20 at any home center such as Lowes or Home Depot) around your tank you will make your water heater more efficient by?keeping?the heat in the cylinder where it belongs rather than escaping to its surroundings.

You should also check the age of your appliances.? Many older appliances are not as energy-efficient as the newer ones.?? You can recognize the newer, more energy efficient appliances as they feature the EnergyStar logo.? If your budget allows for it, you may want to replace your appliances that are 15 years & older, doing so can add up to major savings over the years with reduced power bills.

Don't forget the basics of checking your light bulbs to see if you're using the appropriate wattage in each appliance.? If you're using a 100-watt bulb in a lamp that only needs a sixty-five or 70-watt one, you may be using more energy than you need to.? Swapping out traditional bulbs for compact florescent bulbs can also reduce your power usage. The initial cost of a CFL bulb is 4 - ten times higher than a traditional bulb but they last up to ten times longer & pay for themselves in energy savings in a few months.