Seal the Leaks: Sealing plugs into the external walls of the house. Foam insulation boards (less than $ 1 each) "act as a barrier so the air conditioning remains inside, instead of seeping out," said Jonathan Passe, the Environmental Protection Agency. Simply unscrew the cover, place the board and replace the cover. Change the shower head: Install a shower head that uses high-performance 5 liters of water per minute instead of 9 liters. Changing 9l model to another 5l (about 14 € more expensive), a family of four (assuming each person is a 10-minute daily shower) could save about € 60 a year in water cost story and energy with a gas heater and some € 90 with an electric motor, according to figures from

the Ministry of Energy. Changing light bulbs: Replace incandescent light bulbs CFL bulbs (CFLs). A CFL uses about € 7 a quarter of the watts used by an incandescent bulb and can expect to save more than € 20 for each bulb replaced (over the life of the CFL bulb that lasts 10,000 hours half or 416 days). Making ecological washing: Wash clothes in cold water. We all know this saves energy, but how do we know? "Up to 90% of the cost of washing clothes comes from heating water, so we use hot water only for heavily soiled clothes," said Adam Gottlieb of the California Energy Commission. Another tip: "Use of water equivalent to the amount of clothing or wait to accumulate a full load," suggests Clement. "The water savings can be enormous." Close (or open) the blinds: Leave blinds or cons closed on windows that look south or west in summer to keep the room cool. "This keeps the sun from heating the house and force our cooling system to work harder," said Clement. "In winter, leave the blinds open to let the sun warm our home." Updating our system of heating (and cooling): Install (and programmed properly) a programmable thermostat. The average household spends about € 1488 per year in electricity bills and about half of that amount is due to heating and cooling systems, says Vargas. A programmable thermostat will cost between 34-54 €, it is easy to install and can save around 122 € a year. We can save about 2% of your heating (or cooling) for every degree we go down (or go up) the thermostat for at least 8h a day while we are away from home or sleeping, says Amanda Koran, the American Council for an Energy - Efficient Economy (American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy).