Although Americans tend to travel less than people in other countries and often speak only one language, we have always been concerned with the way the world sees us. Yes, the stereotype of the ugly American is one most try to live down when traveling overseas. But recently Americans have been roundly criticized, as a nation, for their consumption, or really over consumption of the world’s energy. According to the most recent statistics, America is about 4 percent of the world’s population and yet we consume nearly 25 percent of the world’s energy.

The rest of the world right now is forming a plan to reduce their overall CO2 levels by 20% before reaching the year 2020. This is a huge claim, and it means all the countries who are a part of the European Union are taking a monumental step. It also means they’ll be utilizing solar and wind energy a lot more than before. In fact, to this point today, countries such as Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and others have invested billions to make this happen.

Unfortunately the Americans never responded. Instead our politicians are too busy arguing about whether or not the climate change is a factual and viable issue. Until we can reach an agreement, a new legislation will be waiting in the wings. The truth is, they’re all simply missing the point. Even if climate change isn’t a real issue, the fact that we consume much more energy than we should for our population count has to say something. The easiest way to explain it is it’s shameful, and extremely embarrassing. This is even worse considering there are various forms of alternative energy right in front of us, and rather inexpensive.

Since our politicians have failed to lead the country on this issue, the responsibility has fallen to each individual American citizen to make a difference and change the way he uses energy. In this article we will be taking a look at number of alterations you can make to you home or office that will consume less energy, save money on bills and also help the environment.

Solar Power – The first option most people turn to is solar power. This definitely makes sense considering our recent rise in electricity costs. While solar power is clean, sustainable, and free, it’s extremely inexpensive to install. Just ask all the individuals already taking this route whether or not there are plenty of benefits. What it comes down to is the majority of your electricity needs can be met with ease. However, solar power doesn’t produce electricity on cloudy days or at night, so some people utilize wind turbines as well.

Wind Turbines – Wind turbines are nothing more than small windmills that are used for producing electricity. As we mentioned, they are also used in combination with solar electricity and they have proved extremely efficient at producing electricity. That is one reason the Europeans have invested so heavily in them. Another reason is that they are cheap. The average home wind turbine can be installed for only a few hundred dollars. They are nearly maintenance free and will produce electricity whenever the wind blows.

Hybrid Cars – While hybrid cars are currently a bit more expensive than average cars, a hybrid owner will quickly realize he made a wise investment when he sees the money he’s saving on gasoline. On average, a hybrid owner can expect to save up to $1500 a year on gas. Think about it! That means that if you drive your car for a decade you’ll save up to $15,000! itself.

Fluorescent Lights – This may sound crazy, but simply placing your regular lights with fluorescent versions can definitely be more energy efficient. While you may not see a huge decline in your electricity costs upfront, over time you will realize the difference. These can last up to 10,000 hours, which is 10 times more than your average bulb. Best of all they can be recycled when they’ve been completely used.

Energy Efficient Windows – Believe if or not, most of the heat that is lost from your home during the winter is lost because of poorly constructed windows. Making an investment in energy efficient windows is probably the best thing you can do to instantly lower your heating bill.

So there you have it, a few solid suggestions on how each and every one of us can do our part and stop being ugly Americans.

About the author: Jerry Dyess has been in the Electricity business for the past 7 years. He has published many articles on Business Electric prices.