Look back at old bills (at least 3 months) and average out how much energy you use. Year over year is great if you still have those old bills (look at last month, the same month last year, and a neighboring month last year). Try to keep in mind factors such as if you have electric heating or A/C, don't compare January and March. Try to do what you can to get a reasonable estimate of usage.

Figure out how much electricity your devices use. Put everything on power strips and turn them off, get better at turning things off when you leave a room. If you get below 20%, good for you, you can move on to step 4. If you haven't gotten a 20% reduction yet, continue on.

Consider getting a real-time energy meter that tells you how much energy you are consuming in real time. When upgrading appliances, get more efficient ones. If you have electric heat, look into our Solar Hot Water, Caulking, Upgrading Windows and Doors, and Upgrading Insulation guides. You can also ask for help and see what people on the website can offer up for ideas.

Make sure you can do this for at least 2 months. If you do that, you're done, but you still need to continue to make sure you don't relapse. This is also a guide you should try to redo from time to time to make further cuts.