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The cost of heating and cooling a home always seems to go up, up, up. Add in the cost of water, wastewater, and lights, and you may find yourself gasping when you open your utility bills each month. Here are some suggestions for bringing down these costs:
- Use your heat and air conditioning less by keeping your home cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer. Keep your thermostat set at 68 degrees in the winter and at no less than 78 degrees in the summer.
- Lower the temperature on your water heater, but not to less than 120 degrees.
- Ask if your local utility company offers free energy audits. You'll find out where your house is losing energy and what you can do to make your home more energy efficient. The utility may also offer rebate programs that can lower the cost of your energy improvements, or you may qualify for a low-interest/no-interest home energy loan to finance expensive improvements like installing a more energy-efficient heating and cooling system.
- Find out if your utility offers an energy saving program. For example, some power companies automatically shut off your household appliances during peak use hours each day.
- Replace your commode with one that uses less water. Also, replace old showerheads with new, low-flow heads.
- Make your home more energy efficient by caulking, using weather stripping, and adding insulation, all of which are relatively easy do-it-yourself projects.
- Use fans, not AC, to cool your home.
- Hang up your clothes to dry. Not only is using a dryer expensive, but all that hot air makes your clothes wear out faster.
- If you have to replace your washing machine, get one that loads from the front rather than the top. You'll reduce your energy use by as much as 50 percent and save on water too.
- Take showers, not baths, and limit the length of your showers.
- Replace old-fashioned light bulbs with the new ultra-efficient fluorescent bulbs.
- Never run a dishwasher that is only half-full of dishes.
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