Home can be altered for ‘greenness’

Adding insulation is the single most effective way to reduce the cost of heating and cooling a home while also curtailing greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study by the McKinsey Global Institute.

Because saving energy helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, using less of it to heat and cool a home has a payback that is both personal and global: homeowners save money and reduce their personal carbon footprint.

San Francisco-based McKinsey Global Institute is the economics research arm of McKinsey & Co., a global management consulting firm that takes an interest in climate change issues.

"Most people don't realize that the energy used in homes and buildings, much of it for heating and cooling, is the single greatest source of energy consumption in the country, more than industry, more than transportation," said Gale Tedhams, director of sustainability for Toledo, Ohio-based Owens Corning, makers of PINK fiberglass insulation. "Conservation should be thought of as your first fuel because energy you don't have to use is the cheapest energy you can buy."

The following tips will have a measurable impact on reducing your home energy usage this summer and year-round. Best of all, they can be accomplished in just one day.

6:30 a.m. -- Before heading to the shower, check the temperature of your water heater. Some manufacturers set thermostats at 140 degrees, but according to the U.S. Department of Energy, most households need only a setting of 120 degrees. The DOE notes that water heating accounts for 14 to 25 percent of home energy used and each 10-degree reduction in temperature can save between 3 and 5 percent in annual energy costs.

8 a.m. -- Close the curtains against the summer sun before you head out the door for the day. The easiest way to save energy on cooling is to reduce your air conditioning needs in the first place.

10 a.m. -- Visit the Web site of a home improvement center and order a programmable thermostat. You can save as much as 10 percent a year on cooling bills by automatically adjusting the temperature.

6 p.m. -- While dinner is in the oven, take a moment to peek into your attic. If you can see the wood beams of your attic floor, chances are your house is one of 60 million under-insulated American homes. The DOE recommends an average of R-49 in the attic for maximum energy efficiency. If you have less than 151/2 inches of insulation in your attic, you don't have enough.

8 p.m. -- Before bedtime, replace the bulb in your night table lamp with a compact fluorescent. Compared to standard incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescents used about one-fourth the energy.