How to Save $$$ Now

By Lisa Takeuchi Cullen

Conserving energy helps save the planet, but it also saves you money. The average household spends around $1,300 a year to heat and power the home and $2,800 keeping its two cars fueled up. But prices keep rising: heating is expected to jump 50% for some homeowners this winter, and gasoline is up 25% from a year ago. Here's how to save 10% to 50% of your green by going green.

Your Car

o SLOW DOWN. Cars are designed to drive most efficiently at around 60 m.p.h.; efficiency drops 7% to 23% for every 5 m.p.h. over that. At gas prices that averaged $2.73 per gal. in mid- October, speeding by 5 m.p.h. can cost as much as 62-c- per gal., say the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy (DOE). Gunning the engine and jamming on the brakes can lower gas mileage 5% to 33%, or as much as 90-c- per gal.

o DOWNGRADE. Most cars don't need premium gas, which costs $2.95 per gal.--22-c- more than regular.

o TUNE UP. Cleaning your clogged air filters improves mileage 10%, for a savings of 27-c- per gal. Fixing a faulty exhaust-pipe oxygen sensor, which monitors the fuel-to-air ratio in your engine, can save 40%, or $1.08 per gal. Properly pumping up tires can inflate mileage 3%, or 8-c- per gal.

o GO HYBRID. An SUV will glug $1,831 on average at the pump this year, and a sedan will ring up $1,453, according to the Alliance to Save Energy. Meanwhile, a hybrid will swallow as little as $589--not to mention that tax break of up to $3,000 included in last summer's energy bill for buying a new one.

Your Lights

The DOE asks us to sacrifice "four for the planet"--four incandescent 100-watt bulbs, to be replaced with 23-watt compact fluorescent bulbs. A 100-watter burns through $35.04 in energy over three years, while a 23-watter costs $8.06. A fluorescent bulb costs $11 compared with 75-c- for an incandescent but lasts more than 13 times as long. Total annual savings for switching four lights, counting the cost of the bulbs: $27.33.

Your Heat

Heating and cooling costs the average homeowner around $600 a year, says the DOE--much more in colder regions. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Energy Information Administration forecasts that homeowners will pay an average of $378 more this year for heating oil, up 32% from last year. Natural gas will cost $350 more, up 48%, and heating a home with electricity will run homeowners $38 more, up 5%. To trim 3% to 5% from your bill, set the thermostat at 68-o in winter, 78-o in summer. Padding the attic insulation can save 30%. Switching old heating and cooling appliances for those with the government-backed Energy Star label could cut energy bills 20%.

Your Kitchen

Your attempts to emulate Rachael Ray burn a lot of power, never mind garlic. The refrigerator alone accounts for at least 9% of a home's energy usage, or $117 a year. Cover food to avoid moisture buildup, which makes the fridge work harder, and close the door quickly. As for the range, match the pot to the burner. Better yet, use the microwave instead, to cut energy two-thirds.

Your Computer

A buck a day doesn't sound like much to keep your PC revved for a 24/7 Google fix. But powering down to sleep mode between, say, 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. could save 75-c- a day--or $273.75 a year.