Energy is a very important part of our lives. We spend a lot of money on energy. People use different kinds of energy in their homes to do different things. We use energy to warm our houses, to cook food, to heat water, to watch TV and to listen to the radio. We also use energy to keep food fresh and to light our homes and workplaces. A lot of energy (heat) can go into the air without being used. Losing so much energy costs you a lot of money and is a waste of hard work. Also more trees and coal get used up. It is also bad for the environment because it causes more pollution.

Energy conservation is the idealistic or economic practice of reducing the use of energy. Individual consumers can do numerous things to conserve energy and reduce home energy costs. Adopting just a few of these strategies can make a measurable difference in your overall energy usage, and the energy demands of the planet.

• Choose energy-efficient home appliances, which have been designed with energy conservation in mind.
• Choose natural gas furnaces, water heaters, stoves, and clothes dryers. Natural gas is significantly more efficient than electricity derived from fossil fuel sources, for heating purposes. An efficient way to use electricity for heating is with a heat pump.
• Try to use natural ventilation.
• Take advantage of sunlight and leave lights off during the day.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs in place of conventional incandescent light bulbs. A CFL uses approximately one-fourth the wattage of an incandescent bulb producing a similar level of illumination, and they last 8,000 to 10,000 hours.
• Install motion-detection switches or timers for outdoor lighting rather than leaving lights on all night.
• Install dimmer switches for incandescent light fixtures so you can use less light when less is needed.
• Install water-saving showerheads, faucets, and toilets.
  Take showers instead of baths.
• Do not purchase products with excessive or unnecessary packaging.
• Use rechargeable batteries instead of conventional batteries.
• Turn off all electric appliances (lights, computers, televisions) when they are not in use. Computer printers and photocopiers are typically high energy users.
• Unplug appliances that will not be used for an extended period of time; many devices, especially consumer electronics, use a small amount of electricity even when they are switched off, due to indicator lights or listening for remote-control signals.

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