Want to go green this St. Patrick’s Day? Start by saving energy, which is a terrific way to be kind to the environment.  

Here are ten easy, zero-cost ways to add a little “green” around the house:  

1. Turn off the lights when you leave the room or go to bed. Lighting an empty room is a waste of resources and money.  

2. Load up the dishwasher before turning it on. You will use less energy if you run the appliance only when it is full. However, do not overload the dishwasher; water needs room to get between plates, glasses, and silverware to do its best work.  

3. Wash clothes in cold water. Most of the energy your washing machine uses is for heating water.  

4. Take showers, not baths. Showers use less water than filling a bathtub. And keep your showers to 10 minutes long to save even more water.  

5. Unplug appliances when you are not using them. Appliances continue to use small amounts of electricity when plugged in, even if turned off.  

6. On warm spring days, turn off the heat and open the windows.  

7. Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120 degrees. That’s the safe temperature recommended by manufacturers.  

8. Close the damper of your woodburning fireplace when you’re not using it. An open damper in an unused fireplace sends heated air from your home up the chimney.  

9. Move furniture away from heating and air-conditioning vents. If you block them, your HVAC system must work harder to heat or cool your house. The harder it works, the more energy it uses.  

10. Switch the directions in which your ceiling fan blades spin: counterclockwise during the summer and clockwise in the winter.