7 Steps to Make Your Home More Eco-Friendly

Ed Begley, Jr., may be the only actor in Hollywood who likes to show up for events on his bicycle. At 61, the former star of television's St. Elsewhere is nearly as well-known for his second act -- being a champion of the eco-movement.

Begley went green in 1970, when the first Earth Day was celebrated, and has been true to the cause ever since. His modest ranch home in Tinseltown features a bevy of energy-saving devices, including solar panels and a rooftop wind turbine.

"He has a solar oven in his backyard," says comedian Jay Leno. "It's sort of like frying ants with a magnifying glass. When his family asks 'When will dinner be ready?' his reply is 'Tuesday.'"

Still, Leno lauds Begley for the example he sets. Begley and his wife, actress Rachelle Carson, host a cable show about conservation called Living With Ed. Begley is a former chairman of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the author of two books devoted to environmentalism. His latest, Ed Begley Jr.'s Guide to Sustainable Living, includes Leno's humorous foreword and an abundance of ways to save money at home while helping the planet.

Here are seven of Begley's Earth Day tips:

1. Give your house a "green audit." Some utility companies will examine your home for free, pinpointing hidden causes of wasted energy. "Maybe you think your windows are allowing a lot of heat to escape," Begley writes in his latest book, "but the problem is actually a lack of insulation in your walls." A good audit will address everything from the age of your heating system to your personal living habits -- how much you recycle, for example, and whether you are washing too many small loads of laundry.

2. Install a programmable thermostat. Nearly half of your home's energy goes toward heating and cooling, Begley points out. Cleaning filters and raising the thermostat will save money, but for a small investment -- under $100 -- you can really reduce costs. A seven-day programmable thermostat will give you top efficiency with minimal effort. In the winter, you can warm your home just before you get up, and even customize the settings for the weekend. A related tip: Clean those refrigerator coils.

3. Eliminate "phantom" power vampires. "What I'm referring to," Begley explains, "are things like cellphone chargers that do not have a cell phone attached to them, battery chargers that aren't being used to charge batteries, instant-on TVs and game players and stereos . . . that are not on at the present moment." They all drain electricity -- even when turned off. Put them on power strips and cut the current when you leave home. Another option: Begley suggests a GreenSwitch system that shuts off unneeded circuits all at once. Systems typically cost $1,200 but could save you $30 a month.

4. Tap free light with solar tubes. Traditional skylights have a drawback: They have to be placed directly over areas that need lighting. New breakthroughs in reflective surfaces make it possible to channel sunlight through tubes that resemble air-conditioning ducts. The light even turns corners. "It's quite amazing," Begley writes. "When you see the solar tube inside the house . . . you might not even realize it's a skylight. It looks a lot like a recessed light."

5. Insulate with intelligence. Heat leaks from your home in any number of places. Plug the holes and save a bundle. "Canister lights -- those inset ceiling lights -- are gross offenders," Begley writes. "Also check the seal around your vent over the stove. My home energy audit showed a lot of loss there." Wall outlets are another culprit. If your home has a crawl space, consider insulating the underside of your floor. Avoid using fiberglass, which contains toxic formaldehyde, and choose a modern type of insulation, such as cellulose (made primarily from recycled newsprint) or cotton, the greenest yet (made from jeans scraps).

6. Improve bathroom habits. Shut off the faucet while brushing your teeth. "That alone could save 3,000 gallons a year!" says Begley. Ditto while shaving. Think about installing a low-flow faucet or, for $5, attaching a faucet aerator, which mixes air into the water flow. It creates the effect of full volume while you're only using a trickle. Begley is high on low-volume toilets and showerheads. He also recommends that guys install a urinal, which uses a fraction of the water that a toilet needs.

7. Kill your lawn. Grass slurps up enormous amounts of water, and for what? Does it give you food? Pretty flowers? "No," Begley writes. "You get nothing." Today's artificial lawns -- Begley has one -- are good-looking, weed-free and require no water at all. Or plant cacti or native vegetation. Another alternative: Grow fruit and vegetables. It might get one more truck off the road, Begley says, and you'll savor the incomparable taste of home-grown peaches, carrots or ears of corn.

Related:For Kim Masoner, Every Day is Earth Day