CNNdotCOM Tools: Surfing for energy-saving tips

By Natalie Pawelski
CNNdotCOM Correspondent

(CNN) -- It's been a winter of high energy bills and a power crunch in California. People across America are looking for ways to cut down on utility bills.

A variety of Web sites can help you analyze your monthly energy usage, find low-cost power sources, and get a better idea of how all those little appliances around the house can add up to a major energy drain.

With a little effort, these sites can help you cut your energy bills by 10 to 20 percent -- while helping the environment, too.

In this week's Tools segment, we sat down with Mary Barretta, host of "The Money Pit," a home-improvement radio talk show. She showed us several useful Web sites, varying from quick and easy calculators that take five minutes to use, to longer, more in-depth sites that could take up to a half hour to fill out.

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Before you even log on, Barretta suggests gathering some basic information about your home, like the square footage, the age of your appliances and general heating and cooling information. "You also should get your energy bills together from the last three or four months so that you know what types of numbers you would like to cut, and to know what you are paying," Barretta says.

A good Web site that can give you instant gratification is www.warmair.com. Here, you'll find dozens of quick calculators. Click on Thermostat Savings Calculator, for example, and you'll be taken into a page that lets you type in the current temperature you set for your house. Enter a temperature a few degrees lower, and the calculator will tell you how much energy you'll save by lowering your thermostat a few degrees. That translates into less energy used -- and more money saved.

Programmable thermostats can really help here, Barretta says. They can be programmed to meet your heating and cooling needs, depending on your schedule. For example, a programmable thermostat can automatically lower the temperature while your family is working or in school and warm things up again by the time you get home.

"It doesn't seem like a big thing, but you can save an incredible amount of money," Barretta says.

Another helpful site is www.energyguide.com. Type in your zip code and choose which type of energy you use -- electricity, natural gas or heating oil -- and energyguide.com will provide a list of power providers in your area, along with their rates and policies. If you live in a state where energy is deregulated, you can compare prices for different utilities in your area -- and see if you're getting the best deal.

For a deeper analysis, click on energyguide.com's analyzer button. Here, you will need to spend about 15 minutes filling out information about your home, appliances and energy use.

"What's interesting about the questions though is you'll find that the ones that pop up that you don't know the answer to. For instance, what fuel does your dryer use. And it's funny, you say, 'I think it's gas but it could be electric,' and that's certainly something that you should know. So it's a learning process as well," Barretta says.

After you answer a variety of questions, energyguide.com provides charts, graphs and a breakdown of your energy use and cost. It will also tell you how much each individual appliance -- from your television to your microwave -- costs to use each month.

If you'd like to know more about how much it costs to run little appliances like your hairdryer or bigger items like your waterbed, log on to www.energycheckup.com.

Click on "Where your energy dollars go" and find a comprehensive list of average monthly costs for using basic household appliances. Did you know it costs 33 cents a month to use a clock radio? This site will get you thinking next time you leave your computer on overnight.

If you have an old refrigerator or other big appliance that you still think serves you well, think again. If your refrigerator is 10 years or older, it uses up to twice the energy of a new one. For more information, check out www.energystar.gov.

"The Energy Star program rates appliances and gives you the line on energy efficient products," Barretta says.

Click on the appliance you're interested in and learn about each appliance. Energystar.gov will also provide a complete list of energy-efficient appliances, including model numbers.

"What's nice about this is ... most of the major manufacturers participate in the Energy Star program. Which means that you don't have to sacrifice quality to save money or energy," Barretta says.

As in any business, though, even energy conservation has its bad guys. Don't be fooled by private companies with sites promising to save you money if you pay them first. Barretta said she found at least one site that promises to save you money on your utility bills -- but charges you a percentage in the meantime.

Barretta suggests setting aside a half an hour at the end of a day to try one of the sites. "As much as you give is what you're going to get back ... Don't expect to sit down and run through these things in five or ten minutes."

For the payoff, after you've made some changes to your energy use, compare your bills. "Once you get your next month's bill, or perhaps give it two months ... make a note to go to the exact same months bill last year and compare. And then pat yourself on the back."

Analysis: California's dark days lie ahead
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Bush acts to speed new power plants in California
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WarmAir.com
California Energy Department
Homepower.com
Energysavers.gov
Energystar.gov
Improvenet.com
Energyguide.com
Home Energy Saver
Weatherization Assistance Program
Energy Check-up

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