It happens every year. The days get shorter, the temperatures dip, and the energy bills rise. The element of surprise this time around is just how high they’ll soar. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration projects that, on average, households heated primarily with natural gas will pay approximately 40 percent more on fuel this winter, and households heated with oil will pay about 25 percent more. Households heated primarily with propane are expected to pay, on average, 20 percent more, and households heated with electricity will pay around 5 percent more.

No one likes to see numbers like these, especially when they translate into paying potentially hundreds of dollars more this year in energy bills. But through some fairly simple measures, you can not only increase the energy efficiency of your home—thereby decreasing those dreaded bills—but you can also significantly diminish your impact on the planet.

Conservation
Perhaps the most simple but overlooked way to reduce energy use is conservation. Turn off lights, appliances, and electronic devices when you’re not using them or when you leave the house. If you’re concerned about having lights on when you’re not home, use timing devices that automatically turn lights on and off so that they’re not on excessively or during daylight hours. Lighting accounts for as much as 25 percent of the home’s electricity consumption, so taking action to reduce unnecessary usage can make a real difference.

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