Want to make sure you’re getting the most from your home instead of draining it of valuable energy? Then make sure you’ve not fallen prey to a few common household energy-saving myths.

Forbes put together a handy slideshow of the most prevalent stories floating around out there homeowners might mistake for efficient tricks.

Closing the heating vents saves energy: Not true! Even if you’re not using a room and so think to shut it off from heating or air conditioning to save money, Forbes points out that the unit is going to consume energy anyway, and closing a vent puts pressure on the system’s fan, thus making it work even harder and use more energy.

All new homes are efficient: A brand-new home does not an efficient one make. The efficiency of a home relies more on design and construction, rather if it was built yesterday.

Jacking the thermosat to a high temp heats a home faster: Wrongzo. The furnace is going to pump out heat at its max power when it’s turned on, but putting the temp higher won’t make it heat any faster. It’s more likely that it’ll just use a ton of energy and make your house way too hot.

Leaving a light on uses less energy then turning it off and back on again: My dad used to tell me this one and turns out, you were wrong, Pop! It’s just not true, so turn off the lights when you leave a room no matter what.

For more busted myths, check out the slideshow at Forbes.
Energy Saving Myths [Forbes]

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