• Turn off lights when you are not using them.
• Switch to ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) from incandescent bulbs.
• Look for opportunities to use natural light.
• Keep bulbs clean.
• Instead of leaving lights on when you’re away, install timers

• Replace your old top-loading clothes washer with an ENERGY STAR model.
• Set refrigerator temperatures between 35 and 38 degrees (F), and keep coils clean.
• Consider replacing your older model refrigerator with a more efficient ENERGY STAR appliance.
• Switch to cold water washing of laundry in top-loading washing machines.
• Clean the dryer lint filter after each use.
• Shut off and unplug computers and other electronic appliances and chargers when you’re not using them.
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• Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F).
• Wash only full loads of dishes and air dry.
• Install a water-saving showerhead and kitchen sink aerating faucet.
• Repair leaky faucets.
• Consider replacing your older toilet with a water efficient, dual-flush model.

• Clean or replace furnace, air-conditioner, and heat-pump filters.
• Identify and seal up air leaks in your house.
• Close your fireplace damper and seal the opening shut when not in use.
• Install foam gaskets behind electric-outlet and switch-plate covers.
• Examine and adjust, if necessary, weather stripping, door sweeps, and thresholds.
• Turn down your thermostat in the winter and up in the summer, especially when you're not home.
• Install sufficient insulation to increase your comfort and reduce your cooling costs by up to 30 percent.
• Use ceiling and other fans to provide additional cooling and better circulation so you can raise the thermostat and cut down on air conditioning costs.

The Maryland Home Performance with Energy Star program builds on these steps by describing common energy-efficient home improvement recommendations that are more involved but can save you even more money and are even better for the environment. http://www.mdhomeperformance.org/home-improvement.html.

1. Sealing Air Leaks and Adding Insulation
2. Improving Ductwork
3. Improving Home Heating and Cooling Systems
4. Upgrading to Energy-Efficient Lighting and Appliances
5. Adding Renewable Energy Solutions

The before and after home illustrated below highlights common energy-efficient issues and how they are resolved.

Excessive air movement brings cool air into the house and warm air exits the house in the winter (this reverses in the summer). Older appliances and leaky windows also contribute to poor energy efficiency.

ecobeco helps home owners to efficiently update their technology and invest in bringing their homes up to modern code in the most economical way. Home construction has evolved over the decades and so has our understanding of reducing wasteful consumption of resources. Our team understands the homes in the Washington DC region and through our services will recommend a sequenced approach towards implementing the recommendations we provide.

Additional benefits that these solutions provide, according to the Maryland Home Performance with Energy Star, include:

• Turn Homes that have been upgraded through Home Performance with ENERGY STAR cost significantly less to heat and cool.
• Home energy savings range from 10-40%.

• Foaming, caulking and weather stripping, adding insulation, or replacing windows can help to eliminate uncomfortable cold spots and overheated rooms.
• Many homeowners also report reduced dust in their homes after completing Home Performance with ENERGY STAR projects

• Sealing air leaks and installing right-sized, energy-efficient heating and cooling equipment can dramatically increase the feeling of comfort in your home and can help to control the development of mold.

• Most energy in our homes comes from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas) that produce greenhouse gases.
• By saving energy you're helping make the most of our nation’s energy resources and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.
• A modest 20% energy savings in the typical Maryland home will save 6,350 pounds of CO2, the equivalent to taking half of a car off the road.