6 Touch that dial. Don’t keep your thermostat at a steady temperature. When you’re away at work or asleep, turn it up so your air conditioner doesn’t click on as often. Better yet, get a programmable house thermostat or a timer on your window units. That way you can come home to a cool house without running your air conditioner all day. Do the same in winter with your heat. Raising or lowering the temperature can save as much as $100 a year. Heat pumps are one exception to this rule. “A heat pump is more electrically efficient if it is kept at a constant setting,�?according to George Lewis of the energy company PPL Corporation.

7 Landscape for a cooler home. Keep the greenery trimmed around your air conditioners for more efficient air flow. Similarly, if you have a central air conditioner, sweep away any leaves or other debris that accumulated near it over the winter.

Unexpected $ Drains
8 Make sure off is really off. Even when you think an appliance or device is turned off, the power may still be on if it is plugged in. This is especially true with equipment that has a transformer (that small black cube on the end of the cord). If your outlets aren’t easily accessible, plug small appliances, such as your radio, electric razor, battery charger, etc., into a power strip. Then all you have to do is flick a switch when you aren’t using them. Of course, if you are dealing with devices that you program, such as VCRs or radios with clocks, unplugging them may require more work than the savings is worth.

9 Replace your lightbulbs. Fluorescent bulbs may be more expensive initially, but they are definitely worth the investment. A single standard incandescent lightbulb can cost the same to operate as six to 10 fluorescent bulbs—and the fluorescents last about 10 times longer. There are lots of new shapes and types, including attractive compact units that give off a pleasing, soft illumination like traditional bulbs. But “be sure your electric eyes and timers are rated for fluorescent,�?says Alan Muenzel, owner of DAM Home Inspections, Salt Lake City.

10 It’s all about good timing. For security and safety reasons, timers are a great way to make sure the lights switch on and off like clockwork when you’re not around. For better security, get timers that allow you to randomly vary when lights go on, which makes it harder for burglars to tell when you’re away from home.

11 Stay connected 24/7. If your Internet connection is a local phone call (and on a separate phone line), there’s no reason to terminate your hookup when you’re finished sending e-mail or surfing the web. Unlimited local access means that it doesn’t cost any more to stay online all the time, and it will help avoid difficulties in trying to connect to your Internet service provider during peak times, speed up your e-mail service and even make your computer modem work more efficiently. In addition, spend a few extra dollars for anti-virus and firewall software to keep the bad guys out. It’s well worth it.

Reader Tip
12 I plant trees in front of my windows. It may take a few years for them to grow, but eventually they will shade my home and lower my air-conditioning costs.�?EM>Ann Ross, The Dalles, OR

13 Snooze and save. When you are shopping for a printer, scanner or other computer peripherals, spend a few extra bucks to buy one that will automatically go into “sleep mode�?or turn off when it isn’t being used. On the other hand, be selective about which devices you really want with “instant on�?convenience (like your television set and DVD player), because they continuously draw electricity.

Cook Up Savings
14 Which oven do I use? When you have a choice between using the microwave or an electric stove, always use the microwave, which can consume as much as 90 percent less energy. For example, it takes 18 times the electricity to bake a potato in a regular oven than in a microwave, according to the Edison Electric Institute. If you don’t like to microwave, consider using a toaster oven for baking or roasting small items. Incidentally, a convection oven speeds cooking by about 35 percent (reducing the amount of electricity used) by using a small fan.

15 Replace your appliances. If your major appliances or air conditioners are more than 10 to 15 years old, they are definitely costing too much to run. Modern appliances that conform to Energy Star efficiency are 10 to 20 percent cheaper to operate than other products, which will add up to big savings on your electric bills. In fact, according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, buying a new air conditioner with an energy efficiency rating (EER) of 10, to replace an older one rated at 5, can halve the cost of cooling that room.

16 Do you really need that second refrigerator or freezer? When you buy a new refrigerator, consider letting the delivery folks cart away the old one rather than keeping it for those “in case�?times. It will cost you about $100 to $150 a year to run—or more if it’s an older model. If you can’t live without a second unit, put it in the basement rather than in the garage. That’s because a basement is generally cooler; the fridge won’t have to work so hard.

17 Save with off-peak rates. Your electric water heater draws more electricity than almost anything else in your house. Take advantage of most electric companies�?off-peak reduced rates by putting your electric heater on a timer that turns off at 6:00 a.m., for example, and clicks back on at 6:00 p.m. Most heaters are big enough and have enough insulation to maintain adequate hot water throughout the day without being switched on. But for those occasions when you want to take a leisurely midday bath, just press a button and it instantly turns the water heater back on.