The HES Savings Calculator was developed from a number of database sources such as the US Department of Energy's Energy Information Agency (EIA), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

For each product selected by a user, the HES Savings Calculator computes the amount of energy consumed by the currently installed system in the user’s home, the amount of energy that would be consumed by employing the new product, and the resultant annual savings in terms of Dollars and CO2 emissions.

The expected lifetime of each product is based on information provided by the manufacturer. Some manufacturers will simply provide the number of years a product is expected to operate, while others will specify the number of expected usage hours.

In determining the life expectancy of a collection of products, we calculate the weighted average of product life expectancies, factoring in cost. In other words, the lifetime expectancies of more expensive products (such as LED bulbs) have a bigger impact when computing the average expected lifetime of the collection of products (such as LED and CFL bulbs).

Switching from traditional regular light bulbs to CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) is an effective, simple change everyone can make right now. Making this change will help to use less electricity at home and prevent greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global climate change. Lighting accounts for close to 20%¹ of the average home’s electric bill. CFLs qualified by the government’s ENERGY STAR eco-efficiency rating use up to 75% less electricity than regular light bulbs, last up to 10 times longer, cost less to buy, and provide a quick return on investment.

Today’s CFLs offer brightness and color characteristics that are comparable to regular lights. Although fluorescent and compact fluorescent bulbs cost a bit more than regular bulbs, they pay for themselves by saving energy over their extended lifetimes. CFL bulbs and fixtures that feature dimmers and operate much like regular fixtures are now available.

If every home in America replaced just one regular light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified CFL, in one year it would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes. That would prevent the release of greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of about 800,000 cars.

Source: Energy Star; http://www.energystar.gov/

All CFL bulbs contain trace amounts of mercury — but here’s why you shouldn’t worry:

CFL bulbs contain far less mercury (1.4 to 4 mg) than other items in the house, such as thermometers (500 mg) and older thermostats (3,000 mg). Plus, using CFL bulbs actually prevents more mercury from being released into the air by power plants. A power plant emits about 10 mg of mercury to produce the electricity needed to run an regular bulb, compared to only 2.4 mg of mercury to run a CFL bulb for the same amount of time.

HomeEnergySaver.com’s non-dimmable CFL bulbs contain less than 2 mg of mercury, making them particularly environmentally responsible relative to conventional compact fluorescents. However, regardless of mercury content every fluorescent light bulb should still be recycled at the end of its life, and not disposed of with other trash. (More on how to dispose of these long-lasting bulbs.)

Should a bulb break, take these simple precautions. First, open nearby windows to disperse any vapor that may escape. Sweep up the fragments (do not use your hands) and wipe the area with a disposable paper towel to pick up all glass fragments. Do not use a vacuum. Place all fragments in a sealed plastic bag and follow the disposal instructions below.

Products containing mercury, such as CFLs, should be disposed of in accordance with local laws and regulations and not disposed of with regular trash. Take used compact fluorescent bulbs to a local recycling center, your community's hazardous waste collection event, or recycle them through a recycling service such as Veolia ES.

To find out if there are recycling options near you:

Energy-efficient bulbs help utility companies lessen their load at peak times, so sometimes they run special programs or rebates to encourage you to make the switch. Contact your utility company for more information.

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are the future of energy efficiency and the greenest of the green. Compared to CFLs, LEDs last ten times longer, produce less heat, and are more energy-efficient. What's more, they contain no mercury. Unlike CFLs, they give off warm white "day-light" and shine in all directions, so they're great for task and accent lights.

LEDs have been around for a while-- in traffic lights, portable pen lights, electronic devices and even outdoor holiday and Christmas lighting fixtures. However, the breakthrough Pharox brand bulb brings LED technology to indoor home and office screw-in lighting fixtures. It uses 90% less electricity than an regular bulb, and lasts 50,000 hours!

HomeEnergySaver.com currently offers a 4-watt LED bulb that is equivalent to a 40-watt regular replacement. Pharox is creating a bulb that produces light equivalent to that of a 60-watt regular bulb.

Consumer electronics play an increasingly larger role in home energy consumption, accounting for an average of 15% of U.S. household electricity use. However, many consumer electronics products use energy even when they are switched off. This often overlooked electricity load has many names: phantom load, idle current, vampire power, wall wart.

Most electronics and appliances—including computers, printers, VoIP routers, battery chargers, power adapters, cell phone chargers, toasters, televisions, DVD players, and stereo equipment—have "phantom" power loads. For home office equipment, this wasted energy can range from a few watts to as much as 20 or even 40 watts for each piece of equipment.

It is inconvenient to unplug individual appliances and equipment when not in use. The easiest way to control phantom load—and electronics energy use—is by plugging equipment into standard power strips. Shutting the power strip off avoids unnecessary power consumption by completely disconnecting the power supply from the power source.

Your power strips should have an on-off switch and sufficient space between the outlets to accommodate all the differently shaped power adapters you want to attach. To maximize the benefit, control many appliances at once by plugging equipment in the same area (A/V center, home office, kitchen) into single power strips. You may need to strategize a bit, spreading a few power strips around your house and plugging in gadgets in groups based on how and when they are used or when they need to be charged.

"Smart" power strips monitor power consumption. Based on how much energy the electronics are drawing, the smart power strip will eliminate power to that device, cutting off the wasteful phantom load. These strips have a control outlet; power down your computer, for example, and the printer, speakers, and scanner will all power down as well. Yes, the power strip itself does consume a couple of watts of energy, but the net savings from the three or more adapters you plug into it more than offsets its power use.

Heating water is the second largest consumer of energy in the home, after heating the house itself, and our daily hot showers are one of the biggest consumers of hot water.

The good news: You don't need to take shorter showers or shower less frequently in order to reduce water and energy costs. Instead, you can reduce your hot water consumption by up to 20 percent by using an inexpensive and more efficient showerhead. Easy to install and inexpensive, these can cut your shower water usage in half. These showerheads use only 1.6-1.7 gallons of water per minute instead of the 2.5 to 3.5 gallons per minute used by a typical showerhead. Over time, the savings really add up.

Unlike the low-flow models of the 1970s and 1980s that restricted water flow to barely a trickle, today's brands use aerators and pressurizers to conserve water without decreasing the force of the spray. Replacing your old showerhead with a new model could save you more than 30 gallons of water per shower, or 12,000 gallons per year.

If you heat water with electricity, have high electric rates, and have an unshaded, south-facing location (such as a roof) on your property, consider installing a solar water heater. The solar units are environmentally friendly and can now be installed on your roof to blend with the architecture of your house. More than 1.5 million homes and businesses in the United States have invested in solar water heating systems. Solar water heating systems operate off of the sun’s power, which is a sustainable fuel. Solar heaters avoid the harmful greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity production. During a 20-year period, one solar water heater can avoid over 50 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. When shopping for a solar water heater, look for systems certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation or the Florida Solar Energy Center.

Solar thermal water heaters use the sun’s radiation to heat water and are composed of thermal collectors, a storage tank, and a circulation loop. They can be used alone or in conjunction with a conventional water heating system as a backup.

• Active solar hot water systems heat water either by using solar panels or an antifreeze fluid. A heat exchanger made of copper or steel circulates the water in a collector; the heated water is stored in an insulated water tank until it is used.
• Active direct open-loop systems use solar panels outside the building to heat water.
• Active indirect closed-loop systems circulate a fluid other than water, such as glycol antifreeze, through a collector, and are more popular in climates prone to colder weather.
• Passive solar water heaters Unlike active solar water heaters, which use circulating pumps and temperature controls, passive solar water heaters do not have any moving parts. They are typically less expensive and may last longer than active systems, but may also be less efficient.