Cut Down Your Electricity Bills

1. Make sure your home is properly insulated. If you're trying to keep the house cool on a hot day or warm on a cold day, keep the curtains/blinds closed and the windows shut. If the windows are more than 20 years old, consider having them replaced. If you go in or out, close the door behind you!
2. Consider adjusting the thermostat by a few degrees. If it's cold you can put on a sweatshirt instead of heating the whole house.
3. Air conditioning uses a ton of energy. Consider turning it off and going to a shopping mall or movie theater when it's hot out.
4. Don't leave the refrigerator and freezer doors open while you're pondering what to eat.Think first, then open the door.
5. There should be a gauge to adjust the temperature somewhere inside, so don't keep the fridge any colder than you need to to protect the food.
6. Turn lights and fans off when you're not using them. Just get into the habit of doing it, it's not hard.
7. Turn your computer off when it's not in use. Set it to go into hibernation or standby mode after 10 or 15 minutes of inactivity. Switch the "power strip" off.
8. If there are rooms in your house that you're not using, don't turn the heat or air conditioning on in those rooms. Close the furnace vents in those rooms so air will not be blown into those rooms and wasted.
9. Keep your furnace's air filters clean.
10. Check the setting on your hot water heater. Lower the setting to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. You should still have plenty of hot water, unless you use a ton of it.
11. Take shorter showers.
12. Don't use the "heat dry" cycle on your dishwasher. Consider washing the dishes by hand.
13. When you run your washing machine, use the settings for cold or warm water, not hot. Most of the time hot water won't get the clothes any cleaner, and it can be bad for some fabrics.
14. Keep the lint filter on your dryer clean (just remove the lint before every load). Consider stringing a line and air-drying your clothes. They smell so good and fresh!
15. Don't leave the television on unless you're actually watching it.
16. Replace the regular bulbs in your light fixtures with efficient fluorescent bulbs. They cost more, but they last longer and will save you money in the long run because they use less power. Don't buy a higher wattage than you need.