One of the first steps in reducing your energy use it to understand how much of it you're currently using. You may be surprised by the results; as it turns out, leaving appliances plugged in or lights turned on in a room not being used really adds up. Learning how much energy you consume will allow you to consider the ways you can reduce it.

Home Depot is helping take the guess-work out of determining your energy consumption. Performing their Home Efficiency Audit will allow you to figure out ways to save some money and help protect the environment. The audit is broken down into six categories: Heating and Cooling, Water, Major Appliances, Lighting and Miscellaneous. Users can choose where they live on an interactive map to help determine some other more generalized information for a given area.

Learn how your energy habits measure up (literally) by taking Home Depot's Home Efficiency Audit, available on their Eco Options page (after the jump).

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