Becoming more energy-efficient isn’t always simple or straightforward. While you might put energy-saving tips into practice, doing so in rooms that aren’t big consumers of electricity won’t make that much of a noticeable difference on your energy bills. Therefore, if you’re looking to cut back on your electric bills and save yourself money, knowing where to make the most difference will give you an ideal place to start. Here are some of the top energy-consuming rooms in your home and what you can do to cut back on your energy usage in them.

HVAC Closet

The air conditioning and heating central units are often kept in a closet somewhere in a home, though they can also be found in the attic or even in the garage. Wherever your units are kept, that’s where you should start. Heating and cooling uses nearly half of the energy every home consumes each year, so even small cutbacks on energy consumption in this regard can have a profound impact on your electric bill at the end of each month, particularly during winter (heaters use more electricity than air conditioners).

Garage

Your water heater is usually found stashed somewhere in your garage, and this energy-consuming giant uses the second-most energy of anything in your home, behind only your heater and air conditioner. Getting water up to your preferred temperature and then keeping it there so you can have a warm shower each morning uses an estimated 14 percent of your home’s energy each year. Consider replacing your old tank-style water heater with a new tankless heater and you’ll never have to worry about your water heater springing a leak or paying to keep a tank of water at a certain temperature ever again, just to heat water when you need it.

Laundry Closet

If you’ve never looked at the back of your washer and dryer, you’ve probably never noticed that the plug in back looks different. While the type of plug varies, some of them are designed to carry up to 250 volts of power, which is needed to run these huge appliances. Even today’s energy-efficient options still consume a ton of power, as much as 13 percent of your energy each year, depending on how often you have to wash a load of laundry.

Kitchen

You pay dearly to run your kitchen appliances, most notably your refrigerator, electric oven, electric range, and microwave. In fact, your refrigerator/freezer, electric oven, and dishwasher alone use as much as ten percent of your annual electricity consumption. When you also consider that your microwave and other appliances also use energy, you can see how easy it is for this area to be a big energy consumer.