This is the third article in a series that examines common house-hold products, how their manufacture and consumption affects the environment and how we can use less in our day-to-day lives. This article discusses the use of household energy.

Imagine if a person who lived 100 years ago were suddenly dropped into a modern American home. They would certainly be astounded at the array of powered conveniences we enjoy.

Now imagine describing to that person the cost of our energy consumption - in dollars, in ecological terms and in volatile world socio-politics. Think, for example, how you might explain the clouds of pollution pumped into the air by power plants. Or how Arab nations from whom we buy our oil produce suicide terrorists who want nothing less than to destroy our country. Would our time-traveler be so favorably impressed with our electric air fresheners and powered leaf blowers?

If we consider these realities of modern life the way someone who isn't accustomed to them might, we probably agree that spending less on energy in out homes is a good idea. Here are some simple means by which you can consume less power, and in the process, save a few dollars, cut pollution and stop supporting regimes that want to see America suffer.

Use Less Electricity

Approximately 85% of the world's household power is generated by burning fossil fuels. This produces tremendous amounts of pollution, scars the earth with coal mines and creates a huge demand for oil and gas. If we use less electricity, we start to minimize these effects.

There are almost always manual options for the tools that use energy. Use a broom instead of a vacuum, a shovel instead of a snow blower, a rake instead of a leaf blower, non-electric air-fresheners, a handsaw instead of a power saw, etc. Whenever it's practical, use those non-powered versions and you'll feel better knowing that you saved some energy, some pollution and some money. In many cases, you'll also get a little more exercise in the bargain.Turn off lights, the television, electric fans, etc when you leave a room empty. Sure, it's easier to just leave the stuff on, but shutting things off saves you money. It may also extend the life of the appliance in-question.Batteries have to get charged, and in the process, they consume fossil fuels from power-plants. Using non-powered screw drivers, weed clippers and other tools instead of a battery-operated ones, helps. Use Less Fuel Oil

If you heat with oil, your energy bills have climbed a good deal in the past couple of years. While that's good news for oil producers, it's bad news for you. Using less oil is simple to do our daily lives.

Shower instead of bathe. This uses less hot water and saves energy.Shave with cold water. It wakes you up and saves you money!Do your laundry in cold water. Many detergents are especially formulated to perform well in cold water.If your windows aren't sealed tightly, part of your home's energy is literally going out the window. You can save a good deal of heat by sealing drafty windows with low cost, invisible plastic film.If you have a room or section of your house that is rarely used during the cold months, shut the door and turn the thermostats down. (Not too low or your pipes will freeze.) You can heat it up as needed, and save oil when it isn't.Speaking of thermostats, the programmable ones are easy to install and use, and they can save a good deal on your heating bills. Just program them to turn up the heat when your at home and turn it down when you're usually away or asleep. They have manual overrides so you can always set the temperature to whatever you like.These are just a few ideas about saving energy at home. Once you start thinking in these terms, you're sure to come up with many more. If each of us uses a little less energy, we all benefit.