Wattson's Home Energy Quiz

The International Energy Agency's scenario for stabilizing the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide at 450 parts per million would get 57 percent of the cuts from efficiency gains.

Sealing up your home is one of the most cost effective ways to improve your home’s comfort and reduce energy costs. Hidden gaps and cracks in a home can add up to as much airflow as an open window and cause your heating and cooling system to work harder, use more energy, and cost more.

Next, inspect your attic, to be sure it’s properly insulated — it’s the easiest place to add insulation and make a big impact on energy bills. Together, sealing air leaks and adding insulation can reduce your annual energy bill by 10 percent and improve comfort.

Ceiling fans improve comfort in both winter and summer. During winter, run them clockwise (upward motion) at a low speed, to circulate heat that gathers near the ceiling. In summer, or in hot climates, run them counterclockwise (or downward) to cool. Most fans have a switch to reverse the spin. When cooling, always turn off your ceiling fan when you leave the room, just as you do your lights (a fan only cools you, not a room, by creating a “wind-chill effect”).

You must dial down your water heater's thermostat by 10 degrees to knock 3 to 5 percent off your water-heating bill. Most water heaters come preset at 140 degrees, which has the added risk of scalding. The Energy Department recommends most households lower it to 120 degrees.

It takes 1 hour for a 100-watt light bulb to consume 100 watts of energy.

An ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) will save about $30 over its lifetime, and pays for itself in about 6 months. Upgrading 15 of the inefficient incandescent light bulbs in your home could save you about $50 per year.

The cost of heating water for your home may amount to as much as 15-20 percent of your entire utility bill depending if it is a gas, oil, or electric heater.

Making your home more energy-efficient helps to reduce air pollution and prevent global warming. The average house is responsible for twice the greenhouse gas emissions as the average car, annually (22,000 lbs. vs. 11,500 lbs.). That’s because every time you flip on a light switch, run your dishwasher or turn on your air conditioner or furnace, you use energy, which means more pollution from power plants. The more energy we save at home, the more we can help protect the environment.

While its important and helpful to be aware of energy vampires, your energy footprint shrinks dramatically when you stop over-drying clothes and linens.

Generating the electricity needed to keep the opener ready means emitting more than 50 pounds of CO2 a year.