Install a programmable thermostat

Programmable thermostats will automatically lower the heat or air conditioning at night and raise them again in the morning. They can save you $100 a year on your energy bill and avoid lots of excess carbon emissions.

A ‘setback timer’ on your water heater (also called a ‘little grey box’, which is a proprietary product name as well) will allow you to set the times when your water is heated.  Clearly we don’t need hot water on 24/7.  In fact, the average home will only use hot water in a narrow range of times in the morning and evening.  One ‘gotcha’ is to remember to reset the ‘clock’ part of the timer after a power outage, or when power has been turned off for electrical maintence work.  If you forget this, you may be heating water at inappropriate times, and gumbling about luke warm showers at others.

If your weekend habits differ from your weekday habits, there are digital versions of the setback timer which allow day-by-day variations to be programmed in.