Are you planning on investing in a new home, remodeling or purchasing new household appliances? Did you know

that Energy Star can save you money on those types of purchases?

Energy Star was created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to help protect the environment through energy efficient products while helping consumers to save money.

By purchasing energy efficient products that are backed by Energy Star you can save roughly a third of your energy bill. How great is that? You can save money on your energy bill and still purchase reliable name brand products you
trust.

For more information visit the Energy Star site.

Mr. T pities the fool who doesn't use LED Christmas lights this year. That's right all you Clark W. Griswold's of the world. It's just not very eco-friendly to wrap your house in energy guzzling, blinking lights anymore. Fortunately for you and your electricity bill, there is a very economical, efficient and equally as pretty option to deck your halls for the holiday season. So let's ho ho ho our way to a green Christmas.

LED lights are a unique technology, optimizing every bit of energy they use to produce ample lighting at about 90 percent less wasteful than those awful chili peppers you have hanging from your fireplace. These bad boys are Energy Star^® approved, meaning those nice, federal lab coats have deemed that LED lights meet the strict energy efficiency standards of the U.S. Department of Energy. Many LED lights carry ridiculous life spans to the tune of 50,000 hours or more, so you won't feel obligated to purchase new light sets every year.

Rest assured that the cost is still reasonable, despite what you may read elsewhere, as LED Christmas light sets run anywhere from $9.95 on up, with several sites online that carry products. For example, I found several products with a simple search that ranged from LED indoor lights that last over 200,000 hours, to LED candles and tea lights. Prices fall somewhere between $7.95 for smaller candles and $18.95 for a 70-75 light set.

Last and certainly not least is the importance of conserving electricity. LED Christmas lights, as mentioned above, consume almost 90 percent less energy than traditional holiday lighting, so why not enjoy the joys of Christmas while saving money on your electricity bill, AND giving a little R&R to Mother Earth.

It goes without saying that saving money on the electricity bill every month is a huge priority for almost everyone. With the surge of green energy conservation guides, tips and news online, there really is a plethora of information on how to reduce your energy consumption. Here are a few simple tips to start saving immediately.

• Proper insulation in your home is essential to retaining temperatures and not wasting energy cooling or heating your home. This process should include all windows and doorways, crawl spaces, walls and even your garage door—an often overlooked area where precious energy can leak out. Your local Lowe's offers insulation instructions and materials so that you can save on installation costs.
• Use Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) Bulbs throughout your home. CFL's use about 75 percent less energy than traditional light bulbs, and last more than 10 times longer. The initial cost is a bit more expensive, but you'll more than make up for that in what you save on electricity annually.
• Switch out your aplliances with Energy Star® approved items. Energy Star® products are labeled by the U.S. Envirnomental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy as being energy efficient, so it's very likely you'll save money and energy by switching. Products include everything from dishwashers to more efficient water heaters.
• Make a conscious effort to turn off lights after exiting rooms. It's an easy habit to settle into, and only using lighting that is essential for specific tasks will help ease your energy dependency.
• Texas residents are fortunate to live in a mostly deregulated electricity state, which means if you live in a fully deregulated area you can switch, compare and transfer your electricity service, and find the company that helps you save the most money.

Just in time for the summer cooling season, First Choice Power is offering tips to help people save energy and money while staying cool.

"When temperatures go up, energy usage can go up, too," said Jeff Weiser, co-president of First Choice Power. "We want to share information with customers they can use to stay comfortable and save money at the same time."

10 Simple Tips for Saving Energy

• Thermostat setting: 78 is the number to remember. For each degree below the recommended setting in the summer, energy consumption increases by about 6 percent to 8 percent. Consider a programmable thermostat that raises or lowers the temperature by about 5 degrees when your home is unoccupied.


• During the day, close drapes and blinds, particularly on south-facing windows.


• Use floor and ceiling fans. Fans are more efficient than air conditioners; the average ceiling fan can make a room feel 4 degrees cooler but uses no more energy than a 100-watt light bulb.


• Weather strip and caulk leaks around windows and doors. Small leaks let cool air escape.


• Set the dishwasher to the air-dry mode to dry dishes, rather than using heat and energy to do it.


• Adding extra attic insulation will keep a home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.


• Air conditioners require regular maintenance at the start of the cooling season and periodic check-ups throughout the season.


• Clean the lint traps on dryers. Better yet, dry clothes outside on a clothesline.


• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, which use 75 percent less energy and last longer.


• And, as always, turn lights and televisions off when leaving a room.

Providing energy-saving tips and low-price energy plans is one more way First Choice Power is Simply Better, Weiser said. Read more about First Choice Power.

No matter who is giving the advice, one of the most recommended ways to conserve energy and lower your bills is performing an energy audit on your home. A home energy audit will pinpoint the areas of your house that use the most energy and suggest the most effective measures for cutting your energy costs. It can be as easy as conducting a simple home energy audit yourself and contacting your local utility for tips and advice, or you can take it a step further by investing in an independent energy auditor for a more comprehensive examination.

Get a head start on your audit by visiting the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Web site to take advantage of a wealth of tools and tips. They have a section dedicated to do-it-yourself audits and advice on what to look for if you decide to have a professional home energy audit. You can also evaluate your energy use with a variety of energy calculators.

Energy Auditing Tips
Here are just a few of the great tips suggested by EERE:

• Check the insulation levels in your attic, exterior and basement walls, ceilings, floors and crawl spaces.

• Check for holes or cracks around your walls, ceilings, windows, doors, light and plumbing fixtures, switches and electrical outlets that can leak air into or out of your home.

• Check for open fireplace dampers.

• Make sure your appliances and heating and cooling systems are properly maintained. Check your owner's manuals for the recommended maintenance.

• Study your family's lighting needs and use patterns, paying special attention to high-use areas such as the living room, kitchen and outside lighting. Look for ways to use lighting controls—like occupancy sensors, dimmers or timers—to reduce lighting energy use, and replace standard (also called incandescent) light bulbs and fixtures with compact or standard fluorescent lamps.

For more information on saving money by reducing your energy bills, check out all of our energy saving tips.

As Texas continues to set records for electricity usage, the state's Public Utility Commission launched PowerfulAdvice, a new Web-based color-coded warning system to alert Texans about the current condition of the state's power grid.

The system uses three color codes green, yellow and red to signify the state's increasing demand for electricity and the likelihood of an electricity emergency.

Green Days
No electricity emergency is likely, but normal conservation measures are recommended.

Yellow Days
Extra conservation measures are urged because of a chance that electricity shortages may occur during the peak usage hours.

Red Days
Conservation is critical because there is a higher probability of involuntary outages during the peak hours of 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to prevent uncontrolled rolling blackouts.

PUC is already calling for more conservation this week by declaring a yellow conservation alert in anticipation of more record electricity demand.

"PowerfulAdvice is a helpful tool for Texas electric customers as we face the hot summer," says PUC Chairman Paul Hudson. "Customers can get money-saving advice and help ensure a sufficient electricity supply for our growing state."

Click here to learn more about PowerfulAdvice and PUC's tips for conserving energy.

Are air ducts ruining your summer cool? Recent studies indicate that up to 30 percent of the conditioned air in an average central air conditioning system escapes from the ducts. Your energy dollars literally go out the window when cooled air escapes from supply ducts or hot air from the attic leaks into return ducts.

The best way to keep your central air conditioning efficient is to make sure ducts are airtight. Leaky ducts may be difficult to find without experience and proper testing equipment, so it is a good idea to invest in hiring a professional service technician to check your ducts and correct leaks. Check with your energy service provider, as many companies offer low-cost tests and rebates on repairs.

There are steps you can take to make sure your ducts are working properly. Since obstructions can impair the efficiency of a duct system, make sure you do not obstruct the flow of air from supply or return registers with furniture, drapes, or interior doors. Dirty filters and clogged evaporator coils can also be major obstructions to air flow.

According to the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), saving energy this summer just got easier. America's electric utilities have put together the following 10 no-, low-cost tips to guide you. With each tip are the potential energy savings you can expect. Besides saving energy, you will be making your home more comfortable, and you will be helping to protect the environment too.

• Set thermostat at 78 degrees or higher when the house is occupied and at 85 degrees when vacant (save up to 2 percent per degree raised on cooling costs).
• Regularly clean/replace your air conditioner's air filter (save up to 5 percent on annual energy costs).
• Keep the door and vents closed in unused rooms (save up to 3 percent on cooling costs).
• On hot, sunny days, keep the curtains closed on windows facing south and west (save up to 4 percent on cooling costs).
• Caulk and weather-strip around your windows and doors (save up to 4 percent on cooling costs).
• Wash/dry full loads of clothes and use cold water as much as possible (save up 4 percent on energy costs).
• Set the water heater's temperature to 120 degrees (save up to 10 percent on water heating costs; check by placing a thermometer under a tap).
• Use a microwave oven instead of a regular oven (save up to 50 percent on cooking costs).
• Install compact fluorescent lights in high-use fixtures (save about 66 percent on lighting cost per fixture).
• Take advantage of the new federal tax credits when making energy efficiency improvements to your home.

Have you ever heard of an energy audit? Simply by checking on a couple things around your house, you can save yourself hundreds in phone bills. Although you can pay for someone to do a professional energy audit, conducting one yourself can catch several problems. When conducting a energy audit yourself, you should:

• Check your light bulbs. Using bulbs that are a higher wattage than necessary wastes electricity.
• Locate air leaks. Common places for air leaks include: electrical outlets, switch plates,weather stripping around doors, window frames, fireplace dampers, baseboards, attic hatches and mounted air conditioners.
• Inspect your heating and cooling equipment at least once a year.
• Check the insulation in your walls, attic and basement.

Appliances that are energy efficient usually cost a few extra bucks, but you can save a lot of money in electricity bills. Next time you are buying a refrigerator or stove, check out their EnergyGuide label to see if the appliance is energy efficient and how it compares to other appliances in its class.

You should be able to find an EnergyGuide label on any energy-using product that is subject to the federal government's minimum efficiency standards. To find out how to interpret the information you find on the EnergyGuide, you can look at this Web site from the California Energy Commission.