• Turn your thermostat down to at least 68 degrees during the day and 63 degrees at night.
• Open the drapes when sunny to help warm your home, and close them at night to keep the heat in.
• If you must open a window, close the doors in that room to keep the rest of the house warm.
• Move furniture away from vents and radiators so heat is not blocked.
• When not using the fireplace close the damper to keep warm house air from going out the chimney.
• Change or clean your furnace filter once a month.  A dirty filter makes the furnace work harder.

• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of incandescent light bulbs.  Compact fluorescent light bulbs us 1/4 of the energy and last 10 times as long.

• Turn off the lights when you are not in the room.
• Light only the area you need.
• Use natural sunlight during the day.
• Use light colored lamp shades.  They give you the maximum amount of light.
• One 23 watt compact fluorescent light bulb will, over the course of its life, keep one ton of carbon dioxide and 20 pounds of sulfur dioxide out of the environment.

• Turn off the television when nobody's watching.
• Iron fabrics that require a cooler iron first and work up to those requiring higher heat.  An iron heats faster than it cools, so it's quicker to go from low to high than the reverse.  You'll use less energy.
• Turn off the iron a few minutes before you finish ironing and complete the rest of your clothes with the heat remaining in the iron.
• Turn off the iron when the telephone or door bell interrupts your work.
• Store dirty dishes in the dishwasher until you have a full load.  Dishwashers draw the same amount of power whether you operate them full or half empty.
• If your dishwasher has a power-save switch, use it to bypass the drying cycle.  The electric heating element for drying uses a considerable amount of energy.
• Dry your hair with a towel instead of blow drying it.  Many hair dryers consume as much energy as an electric toaster, plus you use them for longer periods.

• Caulk and weatherstrip around windows and doors to keep excess air from entering your home.
• Insulate your home properly.  Insulation with an R-Value of 38 in your attic and 19 in your walls is recommended.
• Outlets can be sealed to stop cold air leaks that get into the house.
• Use weatherstriping at the bottom of your doors.  A gap along the bottom of your door is equivalent to a three inch hole in your wall.
• Seal leaky duct work.  Red mastic #6 is non-toxic and an excellent sealer.

• When drying clothes in the dryer, do loads back to back. A warm dryer will dry your clothes faster and save you energy.

• Clean any lint off of the traps in your washer and dryer.  That way the machine doesn't have to work as hard.

• Wash large loads of laundry and use cold water.
• Turn off all appliances when they are not in use.

• Cool food before putting it in the refrigerator so the refrigerator doesn't have to work to cool it.
• Defrost food in the refrigerator so it helps cool the refrigerator.
• Keep the coils on the refigerator and freezer clean.
• Unplug an extra refrigerator or freezer and save an average of $20 per month.

Cooking

• Keep reflector pans beneath survace elements shiny and clean.  Shiny pans reflect heat rays onto pan bottoms; dull pans absorb the heat.

• Heat only the amount of water you need for cooking.  The water will boil faster if you cover it with a lid.
• Start vegetables on high heat in a covered pan.  When steam appears around the lid, lower the heat setting and allow food to simmer until done.
• When using the oven, fill it so you can cook several dishes together.
• When cooking on the range, cook with the lids on so heat doesn't escape from the pan.
• Use the right size pan for the burner to avoid using excess energy.

• Shower, instead of bathing in a tub full of water.  You will save on your water and water heating bills.
• Don't let the water run while brushing your teeth, shaving, or shampooing.  Use a glass or the sink.
• Use a pan for rinsing dishes instead of letting the water run.
• Fix your leaks.  The costs can add up fast.
• Drain 2-3 gallons of water from your hot water tank each spring to remove sediment.
• Use high performance shower heads and faucet aerators to decrease your water use by 50%.
• Turn your hot water tank down to 115-120 degrees.

• Partly close air vents in rooms that are too hot.  Also, close air vents in all unused rooms.

Summer

• Close the drapes when its sunny to keep your home cool.
• Set the thermostat to 78-80 degrees during daylight hours and raise it to 85 degrees or turn it off completely when the house is vacant.
• If possible, use a fan instead of the air conditioner.
• Open windows and doors at both ends of the house for a cross-breeze.