Every time you get a large electricity bill, it might be because you haven't concentrated on the fact that even a single bulb left lightened, can contribute a lot to the energy wastage. But, it might equally be, because your light bulbs are greedily guzzling electricity.

Let's destroy one myth straight away it's not just businesses or industries that damage the environment. If your home is behaving badly then it's having equal and direct impact too. The fact is, every additional unit of energy results in power stations needing to burn more fossil fuels to generate it.

How? Well, when the power stations that supply us with our electricity burn fossil fuels, they pump out gases into the atmosphere which causes the earth to heat up like a 'Green House.' This process is oftem referred to as global warming and is having a worrying impact on our environment. Also rising temperatures, melting ice caps and rising sea levels caused climate change, which can badly affect the monsoon's time table and monsoon periods. A slight change in this can badly affect the economy of the country which depends on the agriculture like our country "India".

All over the world, one quarter of all carbon dioxide emissions come, the energy we use to heat and light our homes and power our house hold appliances. That is why identifying the energy wastes in your home have a direct effect on our environment as well as saving your money.

By being energy efficient we can therefore reduce the need for power stations and cut the damage inflicted. So, there are no excuses for sitting back and assuming that the reponsibility for reducing energy lie with government and business alone, everyone can do their bit to help.

The average home emits more carbon dioxide than the average car.

Here are some tips that need to be followed in order to contribute in saving energy.

1) Switch off lights and fans when not in use: Lights and other equipments use energy and wasting it contributes to climate change. Also, unnecessary use of these, uses greater amount of energy. so, it is very advisable to switch off the buttons of appliances when not in use. It will save energy and our environment too and last but not the least your har earned money as well.

2) Boiling point: If you are making one cup of tea, don't boil a kettle full of water. If you do, you will be wasting energy and wasting money.

3) Shut that door: Don't leave the door of refrigeratoropen more longer time than you have to. Once the cool air has escaped, your fridge has to work really hard to regain its original temperature. In fact, for each minute, if the door is open, it takes 3 minutes of energy to cool it down again. That's a waste of energy and money, so don't forget to to close door of your refrigerator as soon as you can.

4) Clean up: Always try and have a full load in your washing machine or dishwasher. It makes sense to fill up to save energy and money. You should also try washing at 40 degree celsius rather than any other temperature because most clothes will come just as clean. If you are replacing the worn-out appliance, don't forget to look at energy ratings of new machines before you buy. An energy efficient model could save your hundreds of rupees over its life span.

5) Change your attitude: Have a habit of putting the switches OFF; where you see them ON. Don't think whether thatis of your own or  your neighbour's. so, do your part in trying to save your own environment and your beloved earth.