There are many ways you can save both energy and money in your home. You can install energy efficient appliances, use heat-resistant caulking around your windows, replace all light bulbs in your home with ENERGY STAR light bulbs, and replace your shower head with a low-flow shower head. Those are only a few tips we have for you that will help you conserve energy in your home and keep your wallet heavy.

One other thing that you can do that a lot of home owners tend to not take advantage of is to install programmable thermostats. We often think of the big items, like replacing the old furnace with a high efficiency system (ask a home inspector for their advice), but we sometimes forget that the little changes can have a big impact over time. A programmable thermostat is a great energy saver that allows you to set the temperature in your house to a lower setting when you're not at home or while you're asleep. If you're not at home then what's the point of keeping the heat turned up? It's almost like idling a car. Why keep your car running if it serves no purpose?

Programmable thermostats are easy to install and even easier to use in your home or office. You can even get a professional to come over and install a programmable thermostat in your home if you want to be certain that they will work. Then you just have to get them to show you how they work, which is quite simple.

Most programmable thermostats sold on the market are digital and require you to press an up or down button until you reach your desired temperature. You can also set programmable thermostats to turn on once the room they're installed in has reached a certain temperature. That's an appealing feature for people not at home to gauge how much heat their home needs or doesn't need.

Take a look at your heating bill to see how much you spend each month. If you notice that your bill is extremely high then it might be worthwhile looking into what it would cost to install a programmable thermostat in your house. Some programmable thermostats are also eligible for energy rebates so they might actually pay for themselves.

The best part about equipping your home with programmable thermostats is that not only will you be saving money each month but that you will also be helping the environment as you conserve energy. Every lit bit counts when it comes to helping the environment.