Some upgrades save more money and energy than others.  Here are some facts and figures to consider when making your home more green.

1. A homeowner can realize in annual energy savings by upgrading his original air conditioning system of approximately $250 annually, assuming his home is a 10-year-old, two-story, 2,000-square-foot, single-family house.

2. A homeowner could save approximately $50 annually on his water bill if he chose to replace his top-loading washing machine with an energy-efficient front-loading model.

3. Compact fluorescent light bulbs use approximately 75% less energy than incandescent light bulbs. In my opinion though, these so called “green energy” light bulbs are more dangerous for the environment, you can’t just toss them when they are out or they will harm the environment. You have to actually go through a complicated process to dispose of them.

4. If you frequently turn on and off a compact fluorescent light bulb, it can actually shorten its life. Huh? So you don’t really save money or the planet?

5. Statistics show that you could save in energy cost approximately $30 over the lifetime of the compact fluorescent light bulb versus an incandescent bulb. That is if you never turn it off or on…lol.

6. A top-mount freezer is usually the most energy efficient.

7. It takes more energy to maintain a constant temperature in your home than to let it heat up while you’re at work and cool down when you return at night.

8. A single-family household using a four-setting programmable thermostat instead of manually adjusting the temperature can save about $180 every year in energy costs.

9. 20% of cooled or heated air is lost through duct leaks in a typical home.