My house is basically a Cracker Box quasi-suburban model; one of those built after WW2; probably the very latest in efficient living, then — but now? Hardly! So, what do I do now? Certainly just changing over to more efficient light bulbs and lowering the thermostat are not enough.

The costs of every necessary commodity are so outrageous these days that the only practical thing to do is to plan ahead, and that means making a small investment in the present. Ah, but the present denotes that one act in the immediate.  That wasn’t a riddle..lol

So, what could be more immediate and (well) efficient, than the web? After all it is worldwide (or so I’m told). Thus, taking into account that the energy crisis not only effects me and my cat (though, she’ll never tell), but the planet; putting one and the other together + what my ultimate objective was and is, I Googled ‘Efficient Energy’. Of course, I had to slog through a couple hundred ads and various fragmented posts before arriving at Efficient Planet.com.

To make a long story short: given, the inefficiency of my own (and cat’s) domicile, I thought that looking into Solar Paneling might be the direction to go (I don’t have the backyard space for a windmill or Nuclear Power Plant). Apparently, I was correct in my somewhat random choice of the Efficient Planet site. We have great exposure to the sun here (cat upon her window-sil, especially) and I am kind of a D.I.Y. person, so the Efficient Planet e-book: ‘ConvertYour Home to Solar Power’ was really a welcome surprise.

However, as opposed to all those other build-it-yourself ‘talk fast/ see you later infomercial TV spots, Efficient Planet’s ‘Convert Your Home to Solar Power’ is a seriously explicable guide to building and installing your own solar panels and power generators. It is systematic, and has great illustrations, and schematics, to boot!

Not to say, that it is all so easy to convert; there is some labor involved, and I can tell you from experience: your cat will be of no assistance at all! That is unless your plan is to install a scratching post, rather than solar paneling on your roof.

Nonetheless, if you are stuck with ever increasing and decidedly unreasonable home energy costs, like I have been (I won’t count my cat in the mix — for now, anyway), to that degree where you are just about to give up the place, then, by all means do check out the Efficient Planet line of e-book titles, not just ‘Convert Your Home to Solar Power’, but the others, as well.

Buy a power strip!

Did you know that your appliances use electricity even when they are turned off? It’s called a phantom load, or vampire power. As much as 75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics and small appliances is used while they’re turned off, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The Ohio Consumers Council estimates that it costs consumers $40 to $100 a year.

The simple solution is to unplug small appliances and electronics when you aren’t using them. Or plug them into a power strip and turn the power strip off when you aren’t using those items. Power strips cost $10 to $20 each and can save you up to $100 a year, depending on how many electronics you have. Simply unplugging one television, computer monitor and fax machine when you aren’t using it will save you about $6 a month.

[Source]

Tips and tricks from HGTV for going green:

Solar energy has many uses that can be very useful in everyday living.

1. We use solar energy to light our homes- In particular rural areas wherein electricity is not available, the use of solar energy is very effective. Solar kits can light up homes and power household appliances. It can be also an effective fuel in cooking instead of wood fuel hence deforestation can be minimized.
2. We use solar energy in boiling water – Hot water from the sun is free. It is one of the well known benefits from solar energy. Furthermore because of the discovery of solar energy application in daily household chores, the electricity bill will reduce and the amount paid in electric bill can be added to other household needs.
3. We use solar energy in water pumping – It helps lessen your water bills and will set you free in trouble due to lack of water supply.
4. Schools, community halls and clinics use solar energy as their source of power. Television, video, telephone and other refrigeration equipment can be powered by solar energy. It benefits the community because it is free and has unlimited source.
5. Solar energy for recreation – Solar Power is used in consumer product applications that need small amount of energy like calculators and recreation vehicles that use rechargeable battery.

All of this benefits that the world enjoys today is due to our sun, our ultimate source of free unlimited power. We should realize how lucky we are. All what we need to survive in this world is there and the only thing we need to do is to use and take care of it.

To learn more about solar energy and its benefits and how you too can convert your house to solar energy and save money with this and other techniques please visit Efficient Planet.

We’ll show you what it means to be an efficient woman/man in today’s work force, how to maximize your time and convert at least 12 things in your life to be more efficient - from driving to dressing to dancing or working out to eating, playing, furnishing, shopping and a whole lot more.

This module alone is worth the price of this whole kit and is the perfect compliment to our DIY manuals. It will motivate you to become a better person day to day, it will walk you through a few truths of our planet and its people, but most importantly it will teach you to shape and sharpen your tomorrow, save your money, skyrocket your time management, end the guinea pig and rat race cycle, and open up opportunities in your life to make the most of it – efficiently!

Two significant trends have hit at the same time this year, green issues relating to reducing our carbon footprints and relying less on the world’s natural resources and the global financial crisis affecting every civilized country.

The upshot of this is that everyone is thinking about how they can do their part for the Planet and at the same time, ease their financial worries by becoming more efficient with their energy usage.

There are several ways you can reduce your energy consumption and your reliance on the suppliers whose charges go up and up every month. The most basic of these is using energy saving light bulbs and turning electrical equipment off instead of leaving on standby. The most effective solution involves creating your own power!

Two of the most popular ways of generating power at home are Wind Turbines and Solar Panels. Both are very different systems and require different local conditions, where one may not work, it is likely that the other will. It is more simple than you may think to build a Wind Turbine or a Solar Panel system from readily available materials. If you are able to use tools and follow clear instructions then you can do it.

There are several products on the market which will give you the basic guidelines and theory behind how to create these systems, but only one takes it to another level. Efficient Planet Guides have been developed by some of the most experienced experts in the field of renewable energy.

Efficient Planet is not only a guide to building a wind turbine and solar panel, it also contains a guide to efficient living which covers so many other tips, tricks, and advice to cut down your energy usage and save you money. It really is the ultimate guide to reducing your impact on the planet and money saving advice. The “How to” guides give the background behind the different renewable energy sources, they explain what materials, tools, and equipment are required and they give step by step instructions. They also make sure what ever you do, it is done safely.

If you are ready to make a difference and save the Planet or just want to reduce your electricity bills I think the Efficient Planet Guides could be a step in the right direction.

I am one of those people who was under the false impression that I was doing a decent job of being environmentally conscious.

That’s right! And to make it even sweeter – you can rest assured that when new stuff comes out – my current members will get the info FIRST and a good month or two before anyone else is even allowed to see it!

Don’t Miss Out on This Bonus – Get It NOW!

- Every electricity bill you receive in the future will be much lower, saving your hundreds if not thousands of dollars in the long-term.

- The system will pay for itself within a month or two.

- You can receive energy credits from your electricity company.

- The savings you make can go towards a family holiday or into planning for the future.

- You will be doing your part to avoid an energy crisis in the future.