A recent study showed that the average household spends $1,400 annually on energy. A good deal of that, say energy conservationists, is money wasted. Cutting back on energy use doesn't mean you need to be living in a cave, trying to read by the light of the fire. These days, you can help the environment and your pocketbook without any major sacrifices.

According to the pages of popular science magazines such as National Geographic and Popular Science, there a number of things you can do this summer to cut your home energy costs while helping the environment. By taking some of these relatively simple steps, you can cut your energy bills by one-third or more.

1. Upgrade Your Thermostat – You can cut your energy costs by investing in a programmable thermostat. These allow you to cool your home at different temperatures for specific times of the day. For example, you can program your AC to turn down, during the day, when no one is home and then crank it up again 30 minutes before you return. Installing a programmable thermostat costs around $100 to $150 but the energy savings can be substantial. You can easily cut your heating and cooling bills by 10% annually just by turning your thermostat back 10% to 15% for 8 hours a day.
2. Go Green –Planting just three shady trees around your house not only can cut $100 to $250 off your annual heating and cooling costs, but will also make your yard kook more attractive, too. Leafy trees shield the house from direct sunlight, keeping temperatures down, while still permitting sunlight to hit your house during the winter months.
3. Keep It Clean - Keeping your air-conditioning unit clean and in peak performance is another big money saver. It can be a good idea to bring your AC unit in for a professional tune up. Air-conditioning filters should generally be checked every month or so to see if they need to be cleaned or replaced. This is pretty easy and easily can be done on your own. Another helpful tip is to dust off your refrigerator condenser coils. This will make it run more efficiently.
4. Buy a Better Bulb - Compact fluorescent light bulbs require 75% less energy than traditional, incandescent light bulbs, and they last up to 10 times longer. These bulbs now come in smaller sizes that can fit into any lamp, and a wider color spectrum than they used to. By replacing just four well-used 100-watt incandescent bulbs with equivalent 23-watt fluorescents will save you $108 over three years.
5. Be a Fan of Energy - As many as 73% of homes have ceiling fans, but not everyone uses theirs. You should start. A ceiling fan can balance out a room's temperature, allowing you to turn down the AC and still feel cool.
6. Get Unplugged - Even if all of your home electronics are turned off, many continue to use energy. The main culprits are your televisions, VCRs, DVD players, stereos, phones and microwave ovens. Pretty much anything that has a clock, a remote control or an on/off light falls into this category. In fact, idle TVs and VCRs cost consumers $1 billion annually, or $30 per household.
7. Fight Leaks – That cooled air you’re already paying for may be leaking right out of your house. Leaky windows and ducts are two ways that cool air can be lost, which makes your air conditioner work even harder. Having your ducts properly sealed and insulated could save you as much as 10% in energy costs. So if you think your duct system is faulty, try to have it che
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   ou can do this summer to cut your home energy costs while helping the environment. By taking some of these relatively simple steps, you can cut your energy bills by one-third or more.
   1. Upgrade Your Thermostat – You can cut your energy costs by investing in a programmable thermostat. These allow you to cool your home at different temperatures for specific times of the day. For example, you can program your AC to turn down, during the day, when no one is home and then crank it up again 30 minutes before you return. Installing a programmable thermostat costs around $100 to $150 but the energy savings can be substantial. You can easily cut your heating and cooling bills by 10% annually just by turning your thermostat back 10% to 15% for 8 hours a day.
   2. Go Green –Planting just three shady trees around your house not only can cut $100 to $250 off your annual heating and cooling costs, but will also make your yard kook more attractive, too. Leafy trees shield the house from direct sunlight, keeping temperatures down, while still permitting sunlight to hit your house during the winter months.
   3. Keep It Clean - Keeping your air-conditioning unit clean and in peak performance is another big money saver. It can be a good idea to bring your AC unit in for a professional tune up. Air-conditioning filters should generally be checked every month or so to see if they need to be cleaned or replaced. This is pretty easy and easily can be done on your own. Another helpful tip is to dust off your refrigerator condenser coils. This will make it run more efficiently.
   4. Buy a Better Bulb - Compact fluorescent light bulbs require 75% less energy than traditional, incandescent light bulbs, and they last up to 10 times longer. These bulbs now come in smaller sizes that can fit into any lamp, and a wider color spectrum than they used to. By replacing just four well-used 100-watt incandescent bulbs with equivalent 23-watt fluorescents will save you $108 over three years.
   5. Be a Fan of Energy - As many as 73% of homes have ceiling fans, but not everyone uses theirs. You should start. A ceiling fan can balance out a room's temperature, allowing you to turn down the AC and still feel cool.
   6. Get Unplugged - Even if all of your home electronics are turned off, many continue to use energy. The main culprits are your televisions, VCRs, DVD players, stereos, phones and microwave ovens. Pretty much anything that has a clock, a remote control or an on/off light falls into this category. In fact, idle TVs and VCRs cost consumers $1 billion annually, or $30 per household.
   7. Fight Leaks – That cooled air you’re already paying for may be leaking right out of your house. Leaky windows and ducts are two ways that cool air can be lost, which makes your air conditioner work even harder. Having your ducts properly sealed and insulated could save you as much as 10% in energy costs. So if you think your duct system is faulty, try to have it ch
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   8. Go Green –Planting just three shady trees around your house not only can cut $100 to $250 off your annual heating and cooling costs, but will also make your yard kook more attractive, too. Leafy trees shield the house from direct sunlight, keeping temperatures down, while still permitting sunlight to hit your house during the winter months.
   9. Keep It Clean - Keeping your air-conditioning unit clean and in peak performance is another big money saver. It can be a good idea to bring your AC unit in for a professional tune up. Air-conditioning filters should generally be checked every month or so to see if they need to be cleaned or replaced. This is pretty easy and easily can be done on your own. Another helpful tip is to dust off your refrigerator condenser coils. This will make it run more efficiently.
   10. Buy a Better Bulb - Compact fluorescent light bulbs require 75% less energy than traditional, incandescent light bulbs, and they last up to 10 times longer. These bulbs now come in smaller sizes that can fit into any lamp, and a wider color spectrum than they used to. By replacing just four well-used 100-watt incandescent bulbs with equivalent 23-watt fluorescents will save you $108 over three years.
   11. Be a Fan of Energy - As many as 73% of homes have ceiling fans, but not everyone uses theirs. You should start. A ceiling fan can balance out a room's temperature, allowing you to turn down the AC and still feel cool.
   12. Get Unplugged - Even if all of your home electronics are turned off, many continue to use energy. The main culprits are your televisions, VCRs, DVD players, stereos, phones and microwave ovens. Pretty much anything that has a clock, a remote control or an on/off light falls into this category. In fact, idle TVs and VCRs cost consumers $1 billion annually, or $30 per household.
   13. Fight Leaks – That cooled air you’re already paying for may be leaking right out of your house. Leaky windows and ducts are two ways that cool air can be lost, which makes your air conditioner work even harder. Having your ducts properly sealed and insulated could save you as much as 10% in energy costs. So if you think your duct system is faulty, try to have it ch
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       to dust off your refrigerator condenser coils. This will make it run more efficiently.
   14. Buy a Better Bulb - Compact fluorescent light bulbs require 75% less energy than traditional, incandescent light bulbs, and they last up to 10 times longer. These bulbs now come in smaller sizes that can fit into any lamp, and a wider color spectrum than they used to. By replacing just four well-used 100-watt incandescent bulbs with equivalent 23-watt fluorescents will save you $108 over three years.
   15. Be a Fan of Energy - As many as 73% of homes have ceiling fans, but not everyone uses theirs. You should start. A ceiling fan can balance out a room's temperature, allowing you to turn down the AC and still feel cool.
   16. Get Unplugged - Even if all of your home electronics are turned off, many continue to use energy. The main culprits are your televisions, VCRs, DVD players, stereos, phones and microwave ovens. Pretty much anything that has a clock, a remote control or an on/off light falls into this category. In fact, idle TVs and VCRs cost consumers $1 billion annually, or $30 per household.
   17. Fight Leaks – That cooled air you’re already paying for may be leaking right out of your house. Leaky windows and ducts are two ways that cool air can be lost, which makes your air conditioner work even harder. Having your ducts properly sealed and insulated could save you as much as 10% in energy costs. So if you think your duct system is faulty, try to have it ch
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       et Unplugged - Even if all of your home electronics are turned off, many continue to use energy. The main culprits are your televisions, VCRs, DVD players, stereos, phones and microwave ovens. Pretty much anything that has a clock, a remote control or an on/off light falls into this category. In fact, idle TVs and VCRs cost consumers $1 billion annually, or $30 per household.
   18. Fight Leaks – That cooled air you’re already paying for may be leaking right out of your house. Leaky windows and ducts are two ways that cool air can be lost, which makes your air conditioner work even harder. Having your ducts properly sealed and insulated could save you as much as 10% in energy costs. So if you think your duct system is faulty, try to have it checked out by an HVAC, heating- ventilation and air-conditioning, technician.
   19. Be a Savvy Shopper - By far the biggest way to save is to invest in energy-efficient appliances. When shopping around, look for the Energy Star label. There are more than 35 product categories that qualify.