12 Days of Energy Efficiency: Ways to Cut Your Winter Energy Bills

Powering a home costs the average U.S. household $2,160 a year. While heating and cooling a home are the primary energy guzzlers, appliances also consume their fair share.

Of course, there are ways to keep your energy usage -- and your monthly bill -- skyrocketing each winter. Using efficient Energy Star products, for example, can cut costs by 30%.

In the spirit of the holiday season, SolarCity came up with a list of "12 Days of Energy Efficiency" to help consumers save money by using less energy at home. Where possible, we've added estimates of how much it would cost consumers to act on these tips and how much money it would save them.