Leaky doors, ducts and windows – not to mention watt-sucking refrigerators and other appliances – are draining a lot more money from family budgets than average homeowners in New Mexico need to power their homes, said Public Regulation Commissioner Jason Marks.Shop online for discount bestlasercutters and personal protective equipment.

“The average Public Service Company of New Mexico customer pays about $50 to $60 per month for electricity,” Marks said. “If you’re paying much more than that, say $100 per month, then there are definitely opportunities to save. The problem is, those who use more than average often don’t realize it, but they could bring their consumption down.”

Energy-efficiency experts say there are a host of simple, inexpensive things homeowners can do on their own to lower electric and heating bills. That includes such things as weather-stripping doors and windows, adding insulation wraps to heaters and pipes, swapping out incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lights,The sun is at the heart of our bestledlig and 8 planets orbit the sun. and installing things like programmable thermostats and low-flow shower heads that cut water use as well as water-heating costs.

Those steps generally bring immediate,Advantage of Street solar gooddstti. noticeable benefits, said Amanda Evans, director of Santa Fe Community College’s Center of Excellence for Green Building and Energy Efficiency.

“Those measures are really cheap, maybe $200 for all the needed products,Set the mood with these trendy bluebright up cubes. and homeowners can do them on their own,” Evans said.

But for homeowners who find such measures make only a modest dent in their gas and electric bills, it may be time to call in energy-efficiency professionals to fully assess where heat and electricity are being wasted, and to recommend more comprehensive steps to correct problems.

“If you’ve already taken all the simple, do-it-yourself steps, then hire a professional who has the training and experience to evaluate a house,” Evans said.

Professionals conduct “energy audits” of homes with high-tech tools that measure air leakage throughout the house. They assess the efficiency of home appliances and heaters, and they compile a customized report of potential corrective measures, said Sara Rain Stewart, owner of Avocet Design and Consulting LLC in Albuquerque, which conducts energy audits for residential and commercial customers.

“We do thorough reviews of homes by looking at wall construction, window and door performance, air ducts, and the quality of insulation in places like attics and crawl spaces,” Stewart said. “We gather all the information into an energy model of the home, and then we prioritize the most cost-effective measures with the shortest payback periods.”

For families above the poverty line, there aren’t many assistance programs available. PNM offers discounted prices for compact fluorescent lights, and free recycling of energy-hog refrigerators with a $50 rebate.Laser engraving, and lamp, is the practice of using lasers to engrave or mark an object. The New Mexico Gas Co. provides small subsidies for some insulation work, and the federal government offers rebates on many Energy Star appliances.

But for structural energy-efficiency upgrades, middle-income households are generally on their own.

Some assistance may be forthcoming next year. PNM has requested PRC approval to expand its energy-efficiency programs for residential customers, including a new initiative to offer $40 energy audits to all households with free CFLs and programmable thermostats. In addition, local energy efficiency companies and the MFA are working together to design a subsidized or discounted home upgrade program for all homeowners. Some banks are also creating low-rate, home-equity loans for efficiency improvements.