Today’s New Year’s resolution will help you save money all year round by reducing your energy costs. And, it will help save the environment, too. Listed below are 7 tips for reducing energy waste around your home.

Making sure that your home is well sealed – during the winter and the summer – can save you 10-15% on your utility bill.

• Check the caulking and weather stripping around your home
• Seal the holes around plumbing vents
• If you have an attic, make sure the door to it is well sealed

Tip 2: Close the damper on your fireplace when it’s not in use

Nothing beats the crackling of a warm wood fire during the chilly winter months. When you have a fire going, an open damper allows the smoke to escape. But make sure to close the damper when you don’t have a fire burning – you’ll lose a lot of your home’s heat (and money) through an open damper.

In Arizona, we’re blessed with mild winters, with temperatures reaching the 70s during many winter months. But, for some of us, when the temperatures dip down to 60, it’s time to turn on the heater. If you do decide to turn your heater on, have it professionally inspected first. A heater that doesn’t work properly can cost you a lot of money in wasted energy, and it can be very dangerous (including the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and fire).

Most fans have bi-directional blades so that they can turn one way in warmer months and the opposite way when it’s cooler. During the summer months, you’ll want your fan blades to cool your home, circulating the air so that cool air from the air conditioner goes downward and hot air stays higher. But during the cooler months, you’ll want the opposite – to move warm air downward and keep cooler air higher. 

Tip 5: Keep the temperature down during the day – or invest in a thermostat with a timer

Hate coming home to a cold house at the end of a long day? Keeping your heat running while you’re away at work could cost you, though. By turning the temperature down during the day you could save 20-75% on your heating bills. If you really love coming home to a warm snuggly house, invest in a thermostat that has a timer, so you can set your heater to turn on just before you come home.

Tip 6: Switch to CFL bulbs

In August, the City of Phoenix, SRP, and APS joined forces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging homeowners to switch traditional electricity-guzzling light bulbs to electricity-sipping compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) – those swirly-looking light bulbs, which use at least two-thirds less energy than traditional bulbs.

According to an APS press release, “If 570,000 residents replace at least one incandescent bulb with a CFL in their homes and businesses, greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by more than 251 million pounds over the life of the bulbs. In addition, energy use would be reduced by more than 159 million kilowatt-hours -- enough to light 91,000 homes for a year and save $16 million in energy costs.”

Vampire appliances use electricity even when they’re turned off. According to the SRP website, “It’s easy to spot the energy suckers; they're the ones that need to be reset or re-programmed anytime the power goes off. Power used by the clocks or memory chips that keep these appliances correctly programmed are the culprits.”

To save money (as much as $420 per year) and protect the environment, unplug appliances – coffee makers, cell phone chargers, DVD players – and look to Energy Star appliances when it’s time to replace the old fridge, oven, or microwave.

This New Year’s resolve to save yourself money – perhaps hundreds of dollars in 2008 – and help the environment by conserving energy. It’s a win-win!