Setting your thermostat to 78 degrees or higher during the hot summer months can cut your air conditioning costs by much as 15%. Setting your thermostat to 68 degrees or cooler during the cold winter months can cut your heating costs by as much as 20% Use extra blankets and set your thermostat down at night. The blankets will keep you warm and you will save valuable heating energy. Plant trees or shrubs on the south side of your house to provide shade. If you live in an area with prevailing winds plant some trees on the windward side of your house to provide a wind block. no response on question 5 Well fitted lined drapes keep out the cold or heat much better than poorly fitted or unlined drapes. If you do not have double pane glass you might consider spending a little on new drapes or having your old ones lined. Caulk around drafty windows and add weather stripping around doors. These improvements are not very expensive and can quickly pay for themselves. On pleasant days use natural ventilation to cool your home. A natural breeze is much cheaper and smells fresher than cooled or conditioned air. Examine the insulation in your attic. Poorly installed or inadequate insulation can be costing you money every day. Uninsulated or sparsely insulated attics waste valuable heating or cooling energy. If you live in a cold or hot climate you can easily gain back the cost of insulating your home through reduced energy costs. Examine the insulation in the walls of your home. The easiest way to do this is to remove an electrical outlet or light switch and shine a flashlight into the wall. When it comes to insulation what you "don't" know can cost you. Uninsulated or sparsely insulated walls do lose a lot of energy, but the cost of adding insulation to finished walls is expensive and sometimes not practical once the home is built. Keep this in mind if you are ever building a home. Air conditioners are more pleasant than evaporative coolers but they use many times more energy. If the humidity in your area is not too high for one, a piggy back evaporative cooler may be an excellent way to cut your electric energy costs. Change the filter on your air conditioner once a month. A dirty air filter blocks air flow and wastes energy. no response to question 15 no response to question 16 Check the temperature on your hot water heater. If it is set to over 120 degrees you are probably wasting energy. The hotter the thermostat temperature is the more energy it takes to get the water up to temperature and the harder it is to keep it there. no response to question 18 no response to question 19 no response to question 20 A fire place without glass doors can actually draw more heat out of your home than it generates. This is due to the fact that the hot air rising through the chimney draws warm room air out the chimney with it and sucks cold air in thru the cracks and crevices of your home. Close the damper of your fireplace when it is not in regular use. An open damper can lose as much heat as an open window. Cover pots and pans while you are cooking. The food cooks faster and you are not filling the room with heat and humidity. This tip is especially important in the hot summer months when you are trying to cool your home. Never cook with the oven door open. Your oven was designed to heat up a small area not the whole room. Leaving the door open wastes energy in two ways. First the food takes longer cook and second the room is heated and may have to be re-cooled. no response to question 25 no response to question 26 Dishwashers are very convenient but are heavy users of electricity. Hand washing of dishes is a good way to get your dishes cleaner and save energy too. Washing one dish in your dishwasher uses as much energy as a whole load. One way to save energy is to wait until you have a full load of dishes before starting your dishwasher. The air dry cycle on your dishwasher uses much less energy than the heat dry cycle and is less harmful to wood handled or plastic utensils. no response on question 30 Washing one full load of laundry is more energy efficient than washing several partial loads. Washing your clothes in warm or cold water can not only saves energy but also prevents damage to your fine clothing. This saves money in two ways. A faulty seal on your refrigerator can waste energy and spoil your food. The replacement seals are fairly inexpensive and quickly pay for themselves in saved energy. Every time you open the door of your refrigerator about 25% of the cold air falls out onto the floor. You can save energy if you plan your trips to the refrigerator removing or replacing several items in each trip. 123456789012345678901234567890123456---------------------------