On a quiet block in Northeast Portland you’ll find a charming home with seals of approval on the front window. Those seals let everyone know the home is green.

Margie Williams and her partner Jan do all they can to be green. In fact, Margie works at Energy Trust of Oregon, a non-profit that helps people reduce their carbon footprint.

She says “it’s important that everybody does their share.”

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A home goes up for sale in this file photo.

Williams showed me around her home, showing me what’s been done to make the home more eco-friendly. I’ll start off with the big ones -- windows and insulation.

Several older windows were replaced with more modern ones.

Williams says they “work more effectively to reduce cold air infiltration and keep warm air inside where it belongs.”

She also says that installing new installation can really help save energy.

“The most cost effective thing people can do is plug up the drafts in their homes,” Williams said.

Another important thing to remember is your furnace -- tune it up to save energy.

“[The furnace] is the heart of the home’s heating system, so you want to make sure it runs efficiently,” she said.

But there are smaller things you can do, too. Turn down your hot water heater. Install a programmable thermostat. And if you want to do something tonight, go after your light bulbs.

“it’s the easiest and most affordable things, and it makes the most difference.”

In fact, replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs can save up to 90% of your lighting energy costs.

If you’d like help making your home more green, call Energy Trust at 1-866-368-7878. The non-profit will provide a free, in-home energy audit. Or check out EnergyTrust.org