Þ Turn down the heat. Rather obvious, but turning down the thermostat can lower your home heating costs.   Turning down the thermostat just 5 degrees at night and while the house is empty during the day can reduce your heating bills by as much as 5%. If you plan on being gone for the weekend or on a vacation, turn down the thermostat by as much as 10 degrees to say more money yet.

Þ Turn off lights, computers and entertainment devices when not in use.

Þ Switch to the "energy saver" settings on your washing machine, clothes dryer and dishwasher.

Þ Check and clean your refrigerator coils and pull your refrigerator away from the wall an inch or so to allow better air flow across the condenser coils.

Þ Unplug that second refrigerator or freezer in the garage or basement. Older refrigerators are very inefficient and can easily cost you $125-$150 a year in utility bills.

Þ Make it a habit to run full loads in your dishwasher or clothes washer.

Þ Check the temperature of your refrigerator and set it between 37 and 40 degrees F.

Þ Lower your water heater temperature. Water heating is often the second largest energy consuming appliance in your home. Turn down the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees (about midway between low and medium settings).

Þ Look for other possible energy savings by unplugging infrequently used televisions, VCR´s and other electronic games. These devices always consume small amounts of electricity, even when turned "off".  They use electricity to power internal clocks or "instant on" features. To really shut these devices "off", you need to unplug them. Putting them on a power strip will make this task much easier.

Þ Close the damper. It is important to close the fireplace damper when not in use.  This measure prevents large amounts of heated air from escaping.

Þ Close the heat registers in unused rooms in the house. In fact if there are rooms in your home that are seldom or rarely used, seal around the windows, close the blinds, seal off the registers and keep the doors closed.

Þ Use a clothesline to dry clothes outside, or string one up in the basement in the winter (ask grandma to show you how)