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10 Tips for Making Your Home More Energy Efficient

Switch your lightbulbs! Photo: AFP, Getty Images

The holiday season is just weeks away, the days are getting shorter, and the weather is getting chilly. Between wanting to save some money and trying to keep our carbon footprints in check, many of us are thinking about investing in Snuggies instead of turning up the thermostat -- blankets with arms in the name of energy-efficiency!

Keeping the thermostat low is a good place to start, and there are lots of other easy things you can do to make your home as energy-efficient as possible. Even if you've seen many of these steps, sent out by Plastics Make it Possible, it's is the perfect time for a refresher -- before the truly cold weather sets in, and all of your time gets eaten up with holiday projects.

Take a moment to look around and run through this quick list to see what DIY improvements you can make for a more energy-efficient winter!

1. Check for leaks in common spots, like windows, doors, and places where pipes come into the house. Putting plastic wrap on windows and doors is a quick way to stop leaks before they cost you a bundle.

2. Keep the air moving with a ceiling fan, and in the winter set the blades to turn clockwise, which will create an updraft. This forces the warm air that collects near the ceiling down to where we can use it.

3. Still got some of those incandescent bulbs? Swap them out for compact fluorescent and reduce your electric bills by 10% -- and remember to switch off lights when you leave a room!

4. Insulate your pipes, and you could reduce your energy use by 25%, not to mention keeping them from freezing!

5. Put a blanket around your water heater. This insulation reduces how much energy it needs to function.

6. Window coverings help keep the cold out. Close your blinds to cut down on drafts.

7. Check and change your air filters on heating and air conditioning systems. Dirty filters make your equipment work harder, contribute to allergies, and use more energy.

8. A programmable thermostat keeps you from fiddling with the temperature, and allows you to turn down the temperature at night when you're asleep, or during the day when you're at work

9. Replace old appliances with ones that have the Energy Star logo. In the long run you'll save money on energy consumption, and pollute less.

10. Put a stake in the energy vampires! Unplug unused computers, printers and TVs, which draw energy even in their standby mode.

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