A steadily increasing number of homeowners want an energy efficient home, to save on energy costs and drastically reduce their carbon footprints.

While producing your own electricity is a great way to save money, the best place to start is by making the most of every watt that enters your home. The following questions list some steps you can take to make your home more energy efficient.

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If you answer yes to most of these questions, you can rest assured that your home is indeed green — and you’ll be saving even more green every month if you switch to solar.

Have you installed these energy-saving devices?

A few simple, relatively affordable gadgets can go a long way toward cutting down on your heating bill. For instance, a spot infrared thermometer, a handy little gadget that can easily locate leaks in your home’s insulation without calling in a professional energy auditor.

A programmable thermostat: Since the launch of the Nest Learning Thermostat, these smart devices have gained some major public attention. Proper use of pre-programmed settings in a programmable thermostat can save you about $180 every year in energy costs.

Slaying the vampire gadgets: All the electronics you keep plugged into your walls 24/7 can eat up a ton of energy.

How green is your lighting equipment?

Have you switched over to Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs?

CFLs use more than 75 percent less energy than conventional incandescent bulbs, run cooler, last 10 times longer and pay for themselves within 6 months, each bulb saving about $30 over its lifetime. LEDs are about 100 times more energy efficient than traditional lighting and are commonly used in Christmas lighting.

Have you reduced your dependence on artificial lighting during the daytime by using skylights and tubular daylight devices?

Taking your green living habits to the next level

Above and beyond all the steps listed above, there are a number of ways to change your household’s behavior to save energy and reduce your environmental impacts. Some of the most effective methods include:

1. Do you make a habit of turning off lights which are not being used?
2. Do you save energy by decreasing your water heater temperature to about 130° F when using appliances like the dishwasher and washing machine? And, whenever possible, do you avoid using the dryer and use a clothesline instead to dry your clothes?
3. Do you make it a point to turn off all sources of heat(such as lights, appliances and electrical equipment) when not in use in the summer? This will help keep your home or workplace cooler and reduce the need for fans or air conditioning.
4. Have you planted shady trees a foot away from the outer walls of your home to create a dead airspace that will shield it against extreme outdoor temperatures?
5. Do you use insulated shades, drapes and other window treatments to make your windows more energy efficient?
6. Are you making your own non-toxic cleaning products so that you can improve your indoor air quality?
7. Do you make a habit of recycling and reusing things around the home? All these will help you reduce your energy consumption and save significantly by way of reduced energy bills.

After going through this checklist, how green would you rate your home? Have the suggestions above spurred you on to do something about your environment and in the process for yourself as well?