If you are serious about reducing your power use and being environmentally friendly, there are many small things you can do around the home to work towards “going green”.   Once you have made the obvious changes by insulating your home, turning down the thermostat and so on, there are still saving to be made.   It may sound like you are going too far, but really its more about living with some awareness. Once you have a few of these ideas under your belt, you can consider a DIY solar home project, growing your own veggies, or some passive solar ideas to your home.   We often take for granted that the flick of a switch or press of a button uses the same amount of power – NOT TRUE!Home appliance vary widely in what power they draw and it all adds up, and ends up costing you money, not to speak of affecting the environment.   So, here are a few small ideas to try out and see if they can be fitted into how you live and play at home. The 12 Sneaky Tricks List : Use your microwave or toaster oven to reheat or cook small portions – they use less power for small tasks.   You can reduce cooking energy by as much as 80 percent when using your microwave for small portions. Using your oven and cook top in the summer is adding a lot of heat to your home that your air conditioning has to counteract.   Consider an outdoor BBQ.   Grills are healthy, cook food quickly and are more energy efficient.   Eat more salads, they are healthy and “greens” have a much smaller environmental impact than growing animals for meat. The outdoor porch light is a not only convenient, sometimes it’s a security measure.   Consider a solar powered outdoor light, or at the least use a CFL with a motion sensor. While we are on the same idea,  always turn off your lights when leaving a room. Just one 60-watt incandescent bulb, on for eight hours a day, can save about $15 per year. Check your hot water taps.   Dripping hot water can waste about 5000lts/yr and waste the power used to replace and heat the lost water, costing up to $30/yr in electricity. We know that a normal shower uses less water than a bath, but a new shower head also will save energy. How? – because you don’t have to heat the water that is not used or has leaked away. For laundry, heating water for a hot wash uses about 90% of the energy consumed by the washer, while only 10% is used by the  motor.   So, wash with cold water, modern detergents are great for cold washes.   Switching to cold water will save about $30yr regardless of whether it is machine or tank heated water. Don’t forget those “stand-by” energy wasters. Computers and TV’s and so on can draw from a few watts to as much as 20 or more watts/hr for each item. Avoid using the screen saver on your computer, in that mode, your computer runs the monitor using more power, use a sleep mode instead. Are you cooking pasta tonight? Boil the water in a kettle and pour into your pot ready to cook it.   The kettle is faster and more efficient than your hot-plate. Plant trees to shade your home.   This reduces cooling costs in the summer months and reduces cold airflow around the house in the winter. Typically, newly planted trees will begin shading windows in their first year and will reach your roof in years 5-10. Try not to place hot dishes in the refrigerator as it will have to work harder to adjust the temperature. With these small changes and looking at how you use your car, homeowners can significantly cut household costs.   It may not be practical to replace your car, but you can certainly use it more efficiently, by combining journeys, keeping it maintained, driving slower and maybe even having a car free day.