Open your windows and pull up the shades to let in natural light on sunny days. Take advantage of the natural light rather than leaving the shades down and turning on every light. This will save you money, and it will save on overall energy consumption. At the Gastonia Conference Center, we us a similar approach called daylight harvesting which uses sensors to gauge the amount of light coming in which in turn tells the system to adjust the output of light. This helps us to conserve as much electricity as possible by working with the natural rhythms of the earth from day to night, from season to season, and from dreary to sunny.