Upgrade Your Home

Highlighted Resources

Technical Assistance Spotlight

Home Energy Efficiency Design (HEED): This free, easy-to-use program lets homeowners, renters, apartment managers and homebuilders see how much money they can save by making various design or remodeling changes to a home. Currently available to Southern California Edison customers only.

Home Energy Saver Audit

Another free online tool can help you identify the major energy systems in your home.

Home Remodeling Advice

ENERGY STAR shows you how to incorporate energy efficiency into common home remodeling projects.

Whether you rent or own a home, there are numerous ways to save energy and money.

The key is to view your home as an energy system with interdependent parts. For example, you may have a top-of-the-line, energy-efficient air conditioner, but if your ducts leak, walls and attic are not properly insulated, and windows are not sealed, your energy bills will remain high. Taking a whole-house approach to saving energy ensures that you will see real financial benefits from your investments in energy efficiency.

Step 1: Assess your home's energy use

It's easy to add up the typical energy usage costs for common household appliances, such as refrigerators, heaters and hair dryers. For a customized, in-depth analysis of your home energy use, try Lawrence Berkeley National Lab's free, online home energy audit tool.

Many local utilities and companies throughout California offer free energy audit assistance, which can be conducted online, by mail or at your home. These energy audits reveal the areas of your home that use the most energy and then provide personalized, cost-effective solutions to reduce your home energy use. For more information, go to Rebates, Incentives & Services.

Step 2: Understand the real costs of the products you buy

Every product that uses electricity has two costs: the one on the price tag and the one on the utility bill. For some energy-wasting products, the cost to run the product may be many times greater than the cost to purchase it. And although some energy-efficient products may have a higher price tag, they often pay for themselves in energy savings. Review the major appliances and products under "In This Section" on this page to see why it pays to buy energy-efficient models.

Step 3: Take action today