It’s that time of year again.  The time when the temperature drops and the power bills start to rise.  This is because we are having to turn on the heat again after the warm weather, plus lots of us haven’t been as good as we can be about keeping our house maintained and weatherproofed over the last 6 months or so.  So, if you want to learn how to use less electricity, just read through this checklist below and before you know it, you will be saving money!

• Use lower wattage lightbulbs.  Especially if your light fixture has space for more than one light bulb, consider using lower wattage bulbs to save on energy.
• Turn off the lights when you leave the room.  This is a no-brainer, but it is easy to forget this when you are leading busy lives.
• Use a programmable thermostat.  These can literally save hundreds of dollars per year.  Be sure to program your heat to be lower during the day while you are gone and even at night while you sleep.
• Turn your water heater down.  Many households have their water heaters set at a temperature that is too high.  Reducing the temperature even by just a degree or two can be a significant difference in your bill.
• Unplug.  Unplug appliances and electronics when you are not using them.  Not only will this save money on your electricity bill, but it may also well as extend the life of your electronic item or appliance as it is not constantly running.
• Run full loads of dishes.  Don’t run the dishwasher if it is only half full, be sure that it is completely full before running it.  Also, turn off the heated drying cycle to save even more energy.
• Only do full loads of laundry.  Same as your dishes, do not run your washer and dryer if you don’t have a complete load.  This uses way too much energy.

These are just a few of the ways that you can save energy this Winter.  What steps have you taken to cut your energy costs down?