Here is another thing that can save you energy and money and since I'm generally retrofitting my house it is on the project list to eventually get done. Any house needs natural outdoor light for general psychological comfort. But if your house has 20% of its exterior walls being windows that window area defines the highest overall R value your walls can have. Even if the rest of the walls were perfect energy insulators the R value of the window area , typically R3 to R6 for good windows, will lower the overall R values of the walls dramatically. You can't do anything about it.
The newer cellular shades will help. The best have a value of about R4. I put them in the same category as LEDs since they are a major investment and will have a lower return on investment than the top 6 mentioned here. But just like light bulbs they can be considered something that will save you tons of money over time. Plus cellular shades look good.
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