Every time you flip on a light, or turn on the heat, you create carbon dioxide, a green house gas scientists say contributes to global warming.

How big is your "carbon footprint?"

That's the amount of carbon dioxide you create by using energy.

A free local program can help you find out, right in your own home, and tell you how to leave a smaller print.

They're called Climate Masters but they act as like energy use detectives.
They inspect every nook and cranny of a home looking for opportunities to conserve.

Climate Master, Penny Palmer, says "For each degree you go above 67 it adds 3% to your heating bill."

Climate Master, Aaron Toneys, recommends a change. "I would say move the shelf because its blocking all your air flow."

Palmer says "If we can get people not to use so many kilowatts of energy, we can save on carbon dioxide."

Rita Radostitz requested this free consultation through the Climate Leadership Initiative, at the University of Oregon.

She says, "This is an older home, built in 1932 and my energy bills are really high, so I thought it would be a good way to reduce those and reduce my carbon footprint because that's an important legacy I can leave for my children."

After just a few minutes of inspecting, the climate masters recommend insulating windows, changing bulbs to florescent, and turning down the thermostat.

The climate masters also point out if it's electric, even if its not in uses like a chargers, VCR or microwave, if its plugged in it can still draw energy up to 7-10% of your energy bill.

The basement they find more carbon reducing opportunities, from insulating windows to turning down the water heater and changing the furnace filter.

At the end of the consultation, Rita's ready to make a list of energy saving changes.

She says, "I think its been great and useful, and it doesn't take a lot of time."

To learn more about reducing your carbon footprint, learn about the Mayor's Climate Challenge or sign up for a free in home consultation visit the website of The Climate Leadership Initiative at the University of Oregon at http://climlead.uoregon.edu/checklist/checklist.html