The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase

There are very good reasons why our collective consciousness has turned to being more energy-savvy.

Energy costs are an expensive necessity that only seem to be getting pricier, and most of the population has come around to the fact that decades of burning fossil fuels has negatively impacted the environment, making weather more volatile and endangering our future as humans living on this planet.

Whether it’s the here and now of a high energy bill or the daunting concerns of tomorrow, millions of people are turning their attention to decreasing their own footprint.

One of the best ways to do this is by swapping some of the energy-suckers in your house for more efficient options. You don’t have to throw yourself into the Dark Ages and rely on candles or the light coming off a burning woodpile to survive (save that for later); you can enjoy all the regular things you love but at a fraction of the energy footprint, and it’s cheaper than you’d think.

If you want to take a look at the energy used by each appliance in your house, there’s a free calculator online here.

Something as ubiquitous as lighting makes up about 10% of home energy costs, so if you replace all those standard incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, you can save up to 75% of that energy — keeping more money in your pocket without forgoing anything you need or skipping a beat.

Some of the efficiency fixes are simple: turn off the lights if you’re not in the room, insulate your windows, wash the dishes by hand if you can, don’t do a load of laundry for a pair of socks, and unplug your devices when you’re not using them (they're likely still using a substantial amount of energy). Some fixes like smart thermostats are more expensive upfront but make up for that by how much they save both you and the planet in the long run.

Article originally published on 09/13/2017

Below are 13 things that might help you cut down on your energy footprint, making your bill and environmental impact smaller without losing any convenience.