Can America Use Less Energy?

It's deceptively comforting, the warm glow of the suburbs after nightfall. But a fiend lurks where the light pours from the windows of too-often-empty rooms. The monster within is America's voracious demand for power; despite the threat to bank account and planet, we keep using more. The steps to tame electricity in the home are known but hard to manage in our technology-rich world. Workplace energy waste does nothing to bolster the economy, although creative ideas abound for battling the beast. A key move may be to give power companies rewards for efficiency. Leadership will be essential, but the politics of sacrifice doesn't play well. Individuals must take the first steps; a starting place is unnecessary consumption by computers. And if you must have new gadgets, look at those that help monitor energy use, curb it, and even generate clean power.

Putting Your Home on an Energy Diet 
Simple steps with fast payback can cut family power bills

Energy Costs Around Your House
Heating is still No. 1, but new devices add to electric bills

Three Ways Businesses Can Save on Power 
Factories and offices often waste energy needlessly

Conservation Can Mean Profits for Utilities 
States are changing the rules of the game so that it pays power companies not to expand

Green, Not Sacrifice, Is the Political Word
Today's elected officials eschew sweaters and accentuate the positive

The PC's Dirty Little Secret: It Wastes Power Shamelessly
But you can buy Energy Star models—and turn them off, too

Small Moves You Can Take at Home to Conserve
These gadgets save power without breaking the bank