Basic: If you one of those who has never put your computer on standby before, today marks the end of your full-power era. There’s no more excuse for you not to turn on the power management capability in the computer at home and at work. It doesn’t cost you a single cent and will even help you save lots of them. If you don’t know how, here are the power management instructions for the popular platforms. Do it now.

Intermediate: Help spread the word. Tell your kids, parents, grandparents, bosses, co-workers and anyone that you know of who uses a computer to turn on the power management capability. Now that you have learned how, teach them and show them how tech-savvy you are.

Advanced: Restrict the hours spent on aimless Internet surfing, chatting, playing online and offline computer games etc. Make a list of tasks to accomplish before turning on your PC. This will help you to reduce idling time spent on thinking what to do next which will inevitably lead to one of those Internet time drains. Not only will you save on your energy bill, you will also boost your personal productivity and efficiency. And while you are working on the PC, cultivate some simple energy-saving computing habits.

Basic: You have heard it many times before. Now you’ll hear it one more time. Use less of your car. Leave your car at home for at least one day a week and use the public transport to get to your destination. If the distance is less than 15 minutes, make it a habit to walk or ride a bicycle.

Intermediate: Carpool to get to work, or enquire about private bus service that runs to your workplace. Either option costs cheaper than owning your own car and gets you faster to work than the public transport. If possible, work out an arrangement with your boss to work from home on some days of the week.

Advanced: If you are living and working in the same city, consider giving up car altogether. It’s not as disastrous as you think. You just need a smarter way to organize your time. You can make good use of the time spent on the public transport, like catching up on your reading, listening to your favorite tunes, rehearsing for an important meeting, revising for an upcoming test, or simply people watching. Many people still lead a happy and fulfilling life without a car.

Basic: Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes. Period.

Intermediate: Skip the dishwasher’s drying cycle and air dry your dishes instead. Alternatively, use a clean rag to shorten the process. For your clothes, if weather permits, air dry or better still, dry them under the sun.

Advanced: Donate your dishwasher to a charitable organization that needs it more than you. Take turns to wash the dishes at home and burn some calories while you are at it instead of hitting the couch right after every meal. This will improve your digestion too. Giving up on that washing machine may seem inconceivable now, but let’s not deny that thought a breathing space immediately. Look at it this way: If there is a water rationing going on, would I use the water on that washing machine or me?

Basic: Don’t keep your refrigerator and freezer too cold. Set temperature between 2 to 4 degrees Celsius (36 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit) and freezers at -18 to -15 (0 to 5) degrees.

Intermediate: Cover all the liquids and foods you store in the refrigerator. Exposed food gives off moisture, which makes your refrigerator work harder.

Advanced: Are you one of those people who open the refrigerator door for 30 seconds and still couldn’t decide what you want? Every time you open the door, up to 30 percent of the cold air escaped. Arrange and label stuff in your fridge to allow easy scanning and retrieving. Remember to check your refrigerator seal with the one dollar note test – put the note in the door; if you can pull it out, then it’s time to replace the seal.