If all life were a movie, it would be all energy. But with gas and electricity prices moving on up, that same energy is better saved prudently than spent unwisely. In the same way, it pays to think of life as a movie that has to be kept within budget. That means every energy saving idea has to be used, whether it has to do with one's home, office, or equipment.

The best scenes are played out at the best locations, whether at home or in the office. A bright, energy saving idea would be to either scout for a good location, or fashion the one you have to fit your energy needs.

More than half the energy used for heating or cooling a space is lost because of wrong insulation. To keep your home or office warm through the winter, provide walls and windows with the proper insulating materials. Open all drapes and blinds on south-facing windows during the winter's daylight hours, but close them at night to keep the heat in.

During the balmy days of summer, install a fan in your attic to move hot air out of the house. This fan is another bright energy saving idea: you can change the direction of airflow in winter, so that warm air is pushed toward the floor, heating your space.

Any energy saving idea works best inside and outside of your home or office. A well-kept garden can keep your place looking fresh and clean. Plant grasses, flowers, and shrubs that are well-adapted or native to your area, and which will not require extra watering during the summer, or extra maintenance during off-seasons. If possible, plant trees, such as evergreens, to shade your home or office building, and to protect it from winds.

Much money and energy are spent on moving from one location to the next. It would help if you could either create incentives that would encourage staff to live close to the office, or relocate your business near a place where majority of your employees live. Keeping your workplace energy-efficient is an energy saving idea all its own - but bringing it closer to those who use it might be a better energy saving idea in the long run.

A location will not work without the proper costumes and, as in the movies, clothes not only give insight into a character, but into the character's environment as well.

The first bright energy saving idea would be to get the costumes washed. Clothes come out clean whether they're rinsed in cold or warm water - so to save on your water-heating bill, wash in cold rather than in warm, and warm rather than in hot water. Experiments have shown that you can use up to 50% less energy on washing with the heater off.

If you can't be there to watch your costumes dry, a good energy saving idea (though not necessarily money saving) would be to purchase a dryer with a motion sensor. This will allow the appliance to shut off automatically when the load is dry. Another energy saving idea would be to wash and dry clothes only when you have a full load. However, don't overload your dryer, since clothes dry faster when they have room enough to bounce around.

The best energy saving idea, however, is to wear the right clothing. During warm or hot weather, wear comfortable, light-colored, light clothing instead of heavy business suits to work. This not only helps reduce air-conditioning needs - it saves on your laundry load as well.

The scene is ready, the participants are clothed - but with no good energy saving idea in store, everything will remain dark. Lighting is important in both home and office, and it's proper lighting, more than the amount of light, that can best save energy.

If sunlight through the windows will do, shut your lights off and work in the sunbeams. Replace incandescent floodlight bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps. The latter can save you up to 15% on your lighting bill, and are brighter than ordinary bulbs. If you have more lights than you need, the best energy saving idea would be to remove them, and to keep the ones that you have clean. Grease, dirt, and dust reduce your lights' output and increase the energy they need to function.

The technique may be hard on the pocket, but energy is best saved when lighting is used only at the appropriate times. To ensure that this happens, install automatic room-lighting controls. These respond to the amount of available natural light, as well as to the number of occupants in a room. They can also be programmed to shut off lights at the end of the day, leading to your biggest energy savings yet.

Computers take up a big bulk of an office's electricity load. Another good energy saving idea would be to make sure that computers are turned off while they are not in use. Laptops also use up to 80-90% less energy than desktop computers, and smaller monitors use up less energy than larger ones. Smaller machines take up smaller energy, and though not quite a money saving idea yet, making the switch to compact computers is a good energy saving idea.

Energy saved is a chance for more scenes to be played out. That means that every energy saving idea has to be used, so that all locations, costumes, and lighting will always lead to action!