The energy market is huge and growing so fast that it's impossible for energy companies and energy regulators to keep track of all the changes. New energy-saving devices are coming out each year, along with new energy sources and more efficient energy production.

All this change means that even though you're making an effort to use less energy, there's still a good chance that you're paying energy companies more than you have to. In fact, energy-saving devices are one of the easiest ways to cut energy costs and energy waste in your home.

While most energy saving devices will help you save energy without much effort on your part, there are also things that you can do to cut energy costs even more. Below are some energy saving devices that you can install yourself to cut energy costs, with links to energy-saving devices that have high energy-saving potential and low installation difficulty (from highest energy savings to lowest).

1. Solar panels - The cost of solar panels has dropped dramatically in recent years, making them a must -have energy saving device for homes with large energy usage. Solar energy is free, making solar energy one of the best energy-saving devices out there.

2. LED light bulbs - If you're replacing your old incandescent lamps (the ones that screw into a base) with energy efficient fluorescent tubes or CFLs, consider swapping them for energy-saving LED light bulbs. While they may cost a bit more than CFLs, energy savings over time will more than make up for their higher initial cost. If you're replacing your standard home lamps with energy efficient lighting, or just adding energy- saving lamps as you need them, LED light bulbs are one of the best energy-saving devices you can get.

3. Programmable thermostat - A programmable energy-saving thermostat controls the temperature in your home, turning it up when you're out and down when you're at work or on holiday. It's one of the easiest energy- saving devices to set up, especially if it's a newer model with an energy-saving LCD display. Thanks to energy saving programs, replacing your old thermostat with a programmable energy-saving one now will save you as much energy as it would have saved if you'd installed it many years ago.

4. Programmable power strip - The energy vampires of your home are the energy suckers that stay on even after you turn off the main power switch. These energy-suckers include appliances with clocks and energy-wasting chargers for cell phones, laptops etc. A programmable energy-saving strip (also known as Smart Power Strips) will cut energy waste by shutting down these energy vampires when you're not using them. The energy-saving programmable power strip is one of the energy saving devices that are especially useful for maintaining energy efficiency in your entertainment system.

5. Dimmer switches - The energy vampire energy suckers mentioned above will still suck energy even if you plug them into a smart power strip that has built-in energy management software. If you want to save energy even more and have some money to spend, consider replacing your existing light switches with energy- saving dimmers so that you can gradually turn off energy vampires. As a bonus, the dimming energy-saving device will help reduce eyestrain from energy efficient lighting, making it one of the best energy-saving devices for home offices or entertainment areas.

6. Power monitor - A power monitor displays the energy usage of the electrical appliances plugged into it, and usually has energy-saving timers that can be programmed to automatically shut off energy vampires when you're not using them (making it one of the energy saving devices for energy savings that are easy to set up and energy saving devices with high energy-saving potential). Most energy monitors can display energy usage in either kilowatts or milliwatts.