It's finally fall. But October isn't just about pumpkin spice lattes and Halloween celebrations. It's also Energy Awareness Month. Find out how you can reduce your household's energy consumption while preparing for the season ahead.

Reducing Home Energy Use
The average U.S. household consumes tens of thousands of kilowatt hours of electricity each year. However, something as simple as adding a few energy efficient appliances has the potential to collectively reduce electric bills by $350 billion and cut our global annual carbon emissions by 1.25 billion tons per year.

Don't fret if new 'Energy Star' labeled appliances aren't in the budget. Instead, try working in a few small changes from this Home Energy Checklist to help you save throughout the year.

• Unplug electronics, gaming consoles and chargers when not in use.
• Insulate your water heater with a blanket and turn the temperature down to at least 120 degrees.
• Replace bulbs with LED or CFL bulbs and turn them off anytime you leave a room.
• Schedule an energy audit and replace your thermostat with a programmable unit.

Prepping Your Home for the Cold
During cooler months you can save additional money and energy with simple, inexpensive fixes like:

• Using insulating drapes to help diffuse winter chill. Just make sure to open any south facing drapes to take advantage of the sun's natural heating.
• Finding and sealing air leaks. Check your windows, doors and pipes, and use weather stripping or caulk to stop cool air from seeping in.
• Closing fireplace dampers when not in use. You can also have the entire flume completely sealed off if you use your home's heating system exclusively.

Reducing your energy consumption not only makes a positive contribution to our planet, it also leaves money on the table for fall fun pastimes. With just a few of these small changes, you can get more from your energy budget.