There’s a lot of green talk in the news these days and you may be considering some eco-friendly upgrades to your home. If you do your research, green changes in your home can add up to serious savings down the line. Sure, most eco-friendly changes involve an initial investment on your part, but they cut your power costs, water costs, and repair costs from now on into the future. The initial money you spend will come back to you with interest.

First, let’s start with our water resources. Have you considered a low-flow showerhead? Making the switch can reduce your household water usage by half. The Roadrunner model shuts off water flow to a trickle until you’re ready to get in. An easy valve on the head switches pressure on and off. Or, maybe you’d like to upgrade your toilet. The latest low-flow toilets have dual-flush options that let you decide whether you need a powerful 1.6 gallon flush or a 0.8 gallon flush. Also, manufacturers have improved many models to provide the same amount of power with less water. I read that caromausa.com and kohler.com have dual-flush models. You can also consider installing a rain barrel outside your house to save some clean, healthy water during the rainy months. Use the H2O you catch to water your grass and plants for free. Clean Air Gardening a has brown 50 gallon rain barrel and a blue 60 gallon rain barrel.

How about your electric bill? First off, buy some energy-saving power strips and put them all around your home. The USB Ecostrip and Smart Strip brands will automatically switch off the power to all your devices and appliances when they’re not in use. If you can manage, you could always unplug everything when you’re not using it…but most people can’t be bothered. Also, take the obvious eco-friendly step and switch out ALL of your indoor and outdoor lights to Compact florescent bulbs (CFLs). The CFLs use only 25% of the energy that traditional bulbs use. They also last much longer than the traditional kind. Energy Star’s “Choose a Light Guide” helps you decide on the right bulbs.

As for your appliances, many models are now sporting the Energy Star approval. This joint program of the U.S. EPA and DOE boasts that energy-efficient choices in the home can help families reduce their energy bill by up to a third. You can find qualified ceiling fans, washers, dryers, ovens, refrigerators, televisions…and the list goes on and on. Ceiling fans and floor-model oscillating fans can save you big sums of money in air conditioning. Also, experiment with dark curtains and window coverings to keep the sunlight out during the day.

Don’t forget about your computer. The EPA says that setting your computer to automatically switch to sleep mode after a specified amount of time can reduce your household electric bill up to $75 a year. Get in the habit of fully closing programs that always search for updates (for example, iTunes and spyware) and turn off any screen savers (use sleep mode instead). Support.com has a free Green Computer service.

The key with saving money on green improvements is to do a little at a time. You don’t have to be overwhelmed by changing everything all at once. Instead, gradually upgrade your home to be more energy-efficient and watch your monthly bills shrink over time.

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