Do-It-Yourself Energy-Saving Tips For Your Home

47 ABC News Simple do-it-yourself changes to your home can save you a lot of green on your monthly utility bills.

A lot of money goes down the drain. People don't realize that the living space is an area that has to retain heating and cooling, Darren Lombardo, President at Home Energy Solutions said.

First, attack that attic! For $80, install an attic fan to keep things cool. Staple a radiant barrier to the attic trusses and use an attic stair cover to keep the cold air where it belongs. Sealing your attic can save you anywhere from 20 to 25 percent on your energy bill.

An attic is a collector for heat, so we want to keep the attic space as cool as possible. Theres the radiant barrier, along with a fan with a thermostat control. Between those two, you can save a lot. And some people might say the fan is using electricity, but its less to run that fan and keep the upstairs cool as opposed to not running a fan at all, Lombardo said.

Lombardo says all the holes throughout the house add up to one giant hole. All electrical outlets and switch plates leak too. Place foam electrical outlet sealers behind your electrical outlet faceplates for just 10 -15 cents apiece. Use the knockout portion of the sealers behind child safety prongs to save even more.

Use an insulation blanket on your hot water heater and duct work.

For $10, get an HVAC gauge for your refrigeration system.

When the refrigerant is low, the system will cycle and cycle and cycle and use unnecessary energy, Lombardo said.

Keep your AC unit and heat pumps clean with a foam coil cleaner.

A power cost monitor will help you keep track of energy consumption.

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Do-It-Yourself Energy-Saving Tips For Your Home