You can do a lot on you own to save money and energy, for example, by adding insulation to you home. Often your electricity provider, energy conservation organizations, or government agencies have programs to help you save energy.

One of the most popular program is called an energy audit. You can do this yourself or have an outside contractor or your electric utility perform the audit. Basically, an energy audit measures how much energy your household is using and as closely as possible where it is being used. From the audit, calculations can be made as to what the most cost effective ways are to reduce the amount and cost of your energy use.

A list of web sites are given below with information either on how to do your own energy audit or on where to find someone to do it for you.

• EREC Consumer Energy Information - Info on both do-it-yourself and professional energy audits.
• California Energy Commission - How to make your home more economical.
• Home Energy Saver - A web-based energy audit tool by zip code.