These energy-savings tips cost between $25-$500.

Lighting and Energy Management 

• Replace all of your incandescent lightbulbs with CFLs. Do an inventory first – count how many bulbs you actually need (don’t forget outdoor and garage lighting). 
• Prioritize to replace bulbs in the fixtures that you use the most often. Focus on task lighting – like kitchen countertops, reading, or crafts areas - not background lighting that tries to illuminate an entire room. Budget to replace one or two lights per paycheck.
• Invest in smart power strips for computer and entertainment set-ups. They help take the headache out of avoiding phantom loads.
• Before you buy anything that plugs in – check to see if it comes with the EnergyStar label. They are developing new standards for appliances all the time.
• Consider investing in rechargeable batteries. Some rechargers are now solar-powered – you can even buy a solar charger for your cell phone.
• Get a home energy audit. Check with your utility company for someone who provides this service, or check out RESNET. The auditor should inspect not just your home but also your energy bills.

Heating and Cooling

• Install a programmable thermostat that will adjust the temperature automatically during hours no one is at home. Many utilities offer programs to help customers afford this – check with yours. A programmable thermostat can save you 10-20% on heating and cooling costs every year.
• If you have single paned windows, consider installing storm windows. They can reduce heat loss by 20-50%.
• Install an EnergyStar whole house fan to help with cooling the home in warm summer months. It can help put off the moment when you turn the air conditioner on.
• If your roof is an appropriate site, install a solar-powered attic fan.
• Add extra insulation to your attic. Ideally, all U.S. homes should have between R-38 and R-49. Also seal and insulate basements and crawlspaces.
• If you live in an old house and your walls aren’t insulated, check with a contractor to see how much it will cost.
• Install glass doors on your fireplace to keep warm air from shooting up your chimney.
• If you have access to sustainably harvested wood, install supplemental wood heat – new stoves are very low emissions, and some come with heat-powered fans that distribute the warm air. Heat from the stove can also be used to dry clothes that hang on drying racks.

Appliances

• When buying any appliance at all, remember – it doesn’t just matter how cheap the purchase price is. It also matters how much that appliance will cost you in energy over its lifetime. Check for EnergyStar labels.
• Do you need to replace your water heating system? Consider a tankless water heater. Call a scrap guy to haul your old water heater away (your plumber probably knows one – or is one).
• If you have an older refrigerator, replace it with an EnergyStar model. Fridges represent one of the biggest energy suckers in your home. And when you get the new one, please do not set it up in the garage… instead arrange to have it picked up by your local municipality.
• Do you live far from town, and really need that extra fridge? Try converting a cool, dry, well-ventilated area on the north side of your basement into a root cellar. You can use it to store fruits, root vegetables, and other long-term items that need to be kept cool but not chilled. Invest in bulk containers for items such as flour that need to be moth-proofed.

Landscaping and holiday.

• Buy LED holiday lights – they look just like traditional holiday lights, but they draw much less energy.
• Install solar yard lights for night lighting. Also, many outdoor lights now come with motion sensors and small solar panels, and need no electric wiring.
• Plant evergreen trees to the north of your home to protect it from winter winds. Plant deciduous trees (trees that lose their leaves in the winter) to the south. They will shade your home in the summer and allow sun in during wintertime.
• Gas and electric lawn mowers both contribute to climate change by burning fossil fuels. Either return to the good old sweaty days of a human-powered, push reel mower - or restore your lawn to a low-maintenance landscape that doesn’t require extensive mowing, watering, or chemical treatments.
• You can compromise – mow around the house, outbuildings, driveway, and mailbox, but convert the remainder back to a mix of prairie grass and native flowers.
  
  The trick is to get the mowed strips to look groomed enough that the neighbors get confused and don’t say anything about the unmowed parts – at least until your flowers bloom. And then no one wants to mow flowers. Note: few people consider dandelions as flowers. You may want to pull those up. (Or not.)
• Plant a garden! The more vegetables and fruits you grow in your yard, the more money you save in grocery bills, and the less fossil fuel energy will be needed to transport them from farms across the US to your grocery store.

Transportation 

• Tune up your car regularly. It can improve mileage by 4% and save around 9 cents per gallon. 
• Try the train. It’s a fun, stress-free way to travel. The price is comparable (or cheaper!) than buying gasoline for your car, and the emissions are far, far less.