Solar Energy has by far the largest impact on reducing energy costs, as a 5kW system will cover ALL of the electrical needs of an average home. However, the up-front cost can be daunting to some homeowners. But that cost has come down significantly, and with rebates and tax credits, solar becomes a competitive investment and the most profitable home improvement possible.

Aside from solar, there are also other great energy efficient options that are low cost, easy to implement, and have a significant impact on energy costs:

- CFL's: Easiest to implement and cheap. Payback is very quick.
- Programmable Thermostat: A new (and correctly programmed) thermostat will easily pay for itself in a year.
- Ceiling Fans: Also fairly cheap and fairly easy to implement.
- Air Leakage Seal-up: Again fairly low upfront cost, and pays for itself in a year or two.
- Refrigerator / Freezer: Especially if they are older. A new Energy Star or SunFrost Fridge can easily save a household a couple hundred dollars a year in energy.

Every option above, aside from the Refrigerator / Freezer, are usually under $500 and rather non-intrusive. They all offer paybacks of less than 2 years.

These options can also greatly increase the effectiveness of your solar energy system, as your home will use less power - and the excess energy you create from solar can then be sold back to the utility!

Now, if you are a household that has the money and patience to really go green, then insulation (inside walls, outside walls, ceiling), heating system replacement, and other appliances (stove/range, dishwasher, clothes washer/dryer) can also offer great paybacks – but over the long term.