If you've got a few free minutes today, you might want to read the "Energy Inefficient" editorial in yesterday's New York Times. While the piece mostly focused on the macro level, I've long believed that at home you don't have to spend big bucks to reap energy savings, that simple lifestyle changes can help you shrink your carbon footprint and your utility bills.

A couple of sections in the editorial stood out for me:

"Per-capita carbon dioxide emissions by households in the United States and Canada are the highest in the world—in part because of bigger homes."

Read our "10 Questions for . . . Marianne Cusato" to see what this architect and author has to say about McMansions and the American home.

"A study by McKinsey & Company last year argued that most of the carbon abatement needed between now and 2030 could be achieved with existing technologies, things like insulating homes, improving fuel efficiency, and switching to concentrated laundry detergents to reduce packaging and transport costs. Merely improving transmissions would vastly increase fuel economy."

We regularly cover topics like insulation and weatherization, concentrated laundry detergents (see our latest report here), and automobile efficiency. Read this blog on a regular basis for more on energy efficiency, including the earlier post today, "Don't Let Energy Savings Go Up and Out the Chimney."

What energy-efficiency moves have you made in your day-to-day life? Share your ideas by posting a comment below.—Steven H. Saltzman