New energy-efficient windows are an expensive investment, but there are simple fixes that will make your existing windows more efficient. One of the fastest and cheapest is to cover them with bubble wrap. (Photo — Gary Reysa)

Reducing your home energy use is the best of win-win deals — not only does it reduce your carbon footprint, it also saves you big bucks on your energy bills. That’s especially exciting when you consider that many home energy improvements are fast, easy and inexpensive. Often, the savings from an individual project are small, but when you start putting them together they add up quickly. These eight easy home improvement projects cost about $400 and will save at least $9,000 over the next 10 years! Personal computer power management Computers and all their related equipment, such as printers and wireless routers, consume a lot of power. Two computers and related equipment use about 270 watts whenever they were switched on, but there’s an easy way to reduce this amount. Simply put all the computer junk on a power strip, so that at night you can turn off everything with one flip of the power strip switch. Also start using the energy saving settings on your computer.