Just about half of Puget Sound Homeowners consider themselves very energy conscious and try to do something to help the environment daily, according to a Washington Energy Services study released this week.

The semi-annual Northwest Energy Survey was conducted online Jan. 29 through Feb. 27 among 1,065 Washington State homeowners who were 25 years or older.

More than half of the responders said they use low flow toilets (65 percent), program the thermostat (66 percent) and perform furnace maintenance (54 percent).

Nearly all recycle.

The survey also shows an apparent generation gap between younger homeowners, Generation Y, and the baby boomers.

Baby boomers are more energy efficient, as almost 70 percent of the younger homeowners’ prioritize based on cost; if it helps the environment, too, it’s a bonus.

More than 90 percent of people said they don’t litter, which is up 13 percent from 2011.

Though Washingtonians are rather polite when it comes to litter — according to the survey, three out of four in the Puget Sound region would rather pick up someone else’s trash in lieu of calling someone out for littering. More men than women, 27 to 21 percent, would call someone out, though.

Eastside residents, 51 percent, say they are always thinking about ways to be more green. In Seattle, two out of three homeowners are composting.

Nearly 50 percent of people think they are more energy efficient than their nearest neighbor.

Those surveyed were a broad set of Puget Sound homeowners; respondents did know the survey came from Washington Energy until the end of the survey.

This is the first of two surveys the company plans to release. The second study, to be released in a couple of months, will focus on home energy improvements.

Survey results were weighted against the Washington State U.S. census projections for 2013; some percentages were based on a subset of questions.

For more information visit http://www.washingtonenergy.com/articles-tips/how-are-our-green-habits.