Real energy—and financial—savings start at home

Given the American infatuation with the automobile, you might think that cars and trucks use the most energy in this country. But it turns out that driving is not the biggest energy hog.

The American home consumes the most energy, according to the Energy Information Administration, which says that of the nearly 100 quadrillion Btu the U.S. burned through in 2008, roughly 22 percent of that was consumed by residential buildings, compared with 17 percent by automobiles. While the American car industry has been taken to task for not having prioritized fuel efficiency, U.S. home builders have been just as negligent.

"It's embarrassing," says Chandler von Schrader, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Improve Your Home's Energy Efficiency with Energy Star. "We have this enormous housing stock and it's in generally poor condition because most of the homes were built before energy was a real concern."

The good news is that most homes—including yours—can be made more efficient, lowering your utility bills and national energy consumption alike. In fact, residential energy use would decline 22.5 percent if the roughly 120 million homes built before 2000 were made as efficient as those built since then, according to "The State of the Nation's Housing 2009," from Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies. For individual homeowners, that translates into annual savings of up to $1,500. Use our four strategies to cut your household-energy use.

While nothing on the order of the $3 billion cash-for-clunkers program for cars exists for homes, Uncle Sam has created financial incentives aimed at residential energy efficiency. For example, we've been reporting on the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program. Our newly launched Energy Saving & Green Living guide contains other helpful information, including tips for buttoning up the exterior of your home, an update of the latest energy tax credits, and advice for choosing energy-efficient refrigerators, washing machines, and other appliances.—Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook