Earlier this week, Elizabeth talked about a study on how much energy the United States used in 2010 powering videogame consoles that weren't being used. But games aren't the only thing that's easy to leave on more than you need.

Do you have any tips for saving energy with your home electronics?

You have the chance to share your thoughts on a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

For years, I bought light bulbs based on watts, or energy use. Like many light bulb consumers, I looked for a traditional 40, 60, 75, or 100 watt incandescent bulb. Now that stores today carry more and more energy efficient lighting choices, I wanted to replace my old incandescents with new bulbs to save energy and money on my electricity bill. But in shopping for the right bulb, I came across a challenge in looking for bulbs based on watts. Since these newer bulbs use less energy, I found bulbs that use 8, 15, or 26 watts. The wattages are pretty close to each other, but the brightness levels of each of these bulbs can vary a lot! Sound confusing? No worries. Read on, because there is a light at the end of this tunnel (pun intended)…

So, all I wanted to do was to find a light bright enough for my bathroom so I don't get cut shaving in the morning. I realized that the best way to shop for light was to look for the brightness, or lumens, of the bulb, instead of the watts. Lumens tell you how bright a bulb is, and are listed on the bulb packaging. More lumens mean brighter light. When replacing a 60-watt traditional bulb, you should look for a new bulb that gives you about 800 lumens.

The Energy Department has some informative resources to educate consumers on lumens. For example, check out our lumens placard and tip card. Or listen to some of our radio public service announcements. We have recently launched a billboard campaign effort to raise awareness of lumens in Nashville, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; Phoenix, Arizona; Miami, Florida; Denver, Colorado; St. Louis, Missouri; Detroit, Michigan; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin—so be sure to look out for it if you're driving by those cities.

So, the next time you find yourself looking to replace your traditional incandescent with an energy efficient bulb, choose your next light bulb for the brightness you want and look for lumens—the new way to shop for light.

As for me? After looking for lumens instead of watts, I found an LED bulb for my bathroom that was about 800 lumens. The light quality was great for the bathroom, the color was warm white, and my electricity bill has gone down a lot compared to using the traditional incandescent.

John Chu is a Senior Communications Specialist at the U.S. Department of Energy.

A couple of years ago, I wrote an incredibly nerdy post about videogame consoles and energy. (I'm still stupidly proud of that lame Castlevania reference in the first line. Seriously.)

Why, you might ask, am I bringing up my nerdiness again? Well, it's because I ran into this article on Ars Technica on energy and videogame consoles that cites a Carnegie Mellon study with surprising results: America used nearly 16 terawatt-hours of energy on videogames in 2010, and a good chunk of it was wasted.

In fact, the study assumed that 30% of all gamers left their consoles on 24/7.

That's just an estimate, of course. But when I wrote my post in 2010, I didn't even consider that angle. How wrong I was!

So if you are one of the approximately 30% of gamers who never turn their consoles off, you now have an easy way to save some money. According to the article, idling at your console's main menu uses nearly as much energy as playing a game.

For me, leaving the system on all the time doesn't seem worth it. The Xbox 360 starts up in less than a minute. I don't have a PS3, but I bet it's about the same.

And once your machines are off, you can start worrying about the energy they draw when they're not even on at all! But first thing's first, right?

Elizabeth Spencer is a communicator at DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which assists EERE in providing technical content for many of its websites.

Earlier this week, Amanda shared a checklist on Fueleconomy.gov that helps you keep your car well maintained. Keeping your car well maintained is one way to make sure that it's not using more gas than it needs to.

Do you have any other ideas for saving gas this summer?

You have the chance to share your thoughts on a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

Last week I went home for a family reunion. Visiting my family was great, and one of my favorite things was hanging out with my dad in the garage while he works on the car. When my siblings and I began to drive and own cars, my dad continually reminded us of the need to keep our cars on a regular maintenance schedule. With warmer spring weather here, and summer just around the corner, it’s a great time to get these things done. To make things easy, we have a checklist for you so it’s easy to remember what needs to be done.

Keeping your engine in tune can be one of the most effective things you can do for your gas mileage. Repairing some problems that can be uncovered with a routine engine tune-up can improve your fuel economy by as much as 40%! Other things, such as putting the right grade of motor oil in your vehicle and keeping the right amount of pressure in your tires don’t take very much time.

So before you head out on your summer road trip, or even drive to the park for a picnic, take a moment to make sure your car is in good health. It will be more than worth your time when you notice the savings.

Amanda McAlpin works for New West Technologies supporting the Vehicle Technologies Program at the U.S. Department of Energy.