1. Conservation steps Heating and cooling Degree Days Insulation
A measure of the amount of heat lost in a season
The number of degree days associated with anyone day is calculated by taking the difference between the average daily outside temperature and an average inside temperature (taken to be 65 degrees)
So for example, if the average outside temperature on a given day is 45 degrees, the the number of degree days for that date is = 20 degree days.
Insulation
R value, describes the thermal resistance of a material
Function of the thickness and its thermal conductivity
R = l/k
A higher R value means more thermal resistance and better insulating capability

2. Conservation Air-tightness Doors Buildings leak air
Not a bad thing, you need some air flow in and out of a building to remove unhealthy gasses in the air
Too much reduces the energy efficiency of a building
Doors
Air leaks from the around the door as well as through the door.
Replace old doors with more energy efficient doors
Seal around doorframe
Seal bottom of the door
(most common place for leakage)
If you can see daylight coming under the bottom of the door, it needs a better seal.

3. Conservation
Windows
Double pane windows loose ½ the heat as single pane windows.
Windows with an air gap between the panes are even more energy efficient.
Storm windows also help
Window coverings (shades, curtains etc) also help keep heat in as they cover the windows when there is no sunlight.

4. Conservation Efficient heating and cooling units
Newer units have a much higher energy efficiency rating than units that are more than 10 years old.
Oil and gas units are now designed to reduce the amount of heat lost up the chimney in combustion.
Dampers in chimneys reduce heat lost when system Is not running
Insulation-in systems that use hot water run through pipes in the house, insulate the lines that are exposed to rooms with no heat (basements etc)
Proper maintenance keeps the system running at maximum efficiency

5. Thermostat Turn down the thermostat
Provides the biggest impact
for every degree the thermostat is dialed down, you can save 1-3 percent on your heating or cooling utility bill
Pre was the normal setting for the average household thermostat
Now is the range they are generally set at
Must be sure to maintain a reasonable level of comfort
Setting it lower when heating is not needed (middle of the night, when the house is not in use etc.) can produce additional savings.
It is a myth that the saving are negated by the energy needed to bring the house back up to an acceptable temperature (no thermodynamic basis for this myth).
Programmable thermostats make this a very easy thing to do
Same idea applies in the summer, turn the thermostat up.
Close off rooms that are on outside walls that are not in regular use.
Close off vents in unused rooms or in rooms where thermodynamics tells you heat will flow to/from.

6. Fireplaces and Wood stoves
Actually, only good for limited spaces, as they draw air from within the house out, so they remove warm air from the house.
Fireplaces can be designed to minimize this effect
Close the flue (when appropriate) , glass doors on the front of a fireplace help reduce air lost up the chimney and improve heating effect

7. Appliances Water heaters Other appliances
Every 10 degrees you dial down the thermostat can knock 3 to 5 percent off your water-heating bill.
lower water temp to 120
Use less hot water
Insulate tank and pipes in unheated rooms
Other appliances
Use them less/turn them off when not in the room
Like your mother always said, turn off the TV when you leave the room!
Hang your clothes out to dry instead of putting them in the dryer
Buy newer, more energy efficient models
Turn of items that draw power even when they are off

8. Lighting Turn them off when not in the room
Use more efficient light bulbs (halogen, compact fluorescent, LED)
Do not over-light a room
Pay attention to natural lighting
Turn them off when not in the room
Excessive exterior lighting is considered a form of pollution and is wasteful
Light that does not illuminate the ground is wasteful
If it impinges upon someone’s property (shining in a window), it is called light trespass
If it shines up, it illuminates the night sky-called light pollution restricts your ability to see the stars
Lights that have overlapping light cones are dangerous, they produce sharp shadows unsavory characters can hide in

9. Large organizations
They can invoke many of the same techniques that homeowners should
Insulation-identify and fix places of excessive heat loss
Make sure lights are turned off when rooms are not in use
Can use sensors for places like bathrooms and other rooms that are not continuously occupied during business hours
More independent lighting – illuminate only areas in use, especially off hours
More efficient lighting
Better heating/cooling control in office spaces
Need employee buy-in. It doesn’t do any good to turn the heat down if everyone comes in with their own space heater.
Employee awareness-shutting down computers, etc completely at the end of the day.
Many modern electronic devices continue to draw electricity even when they are off. Need to unplug them or turn them off at the power strip.
More significant measures during periods of prolonged shut down
Use their own power plants (green) and/or use cogeneration techniques

10. Leed Certifiation
LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system. 
Third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.
Gary Ransdall Hall is Leed certified

11. Take the bus!
Driving
Find alternate means of transportation (mass transit, bicycles, walking)
Purchase a fuel efficient vehicle
Drive at constant, slower speeds
Combine trips
It’s a mode of transportation not a status symbol - get over it