By turning your thermostat down three degrees, you can save around 3% on your heating bills.  Make sure it is off when you are at work and turn it down even lower when you are sleeping to save even more money.  Shut the doors to any rooms that aren’t being used to conserve energy.  Weatherstripping doors and windows can amount to using less heat.  An insulated attic can also reduce the cost of your heating bills.  The refrigerator, hot water heater and the heating system are three of the biggest energy consumers in your home.  To improve the efficiency of your appliances, Make sure you give your furnace a tune-up once a year.  Wrapping the water heater will insulate it and cleaning the refrigerator coils twice a year will also help improve their efficiency.  It is also possible that your utility company offers a reduced rate for certain times of the day.  If your schedule allows it, timing these devices to cycle during this period could greatly reduce the amount of energy being used.  A lower water bill can be obtainable if water leaks are fixed and water saving shower heads are installed.  By placing a heavy object in the toilet tank such as a brick, you will also be conserving the amount of water used.  Filling up the dishwasher and washing machine halfway and than running it costs the average American household $700 to $900 dollars in added utility fees each year.  Do full loads of dishes and laundry. Also when drying your clothes in groups one after another, your dryer saves energy because it is already hot.  Using e-mail and calling friends and family at night and on weekends can significantly lower your long distance phone bill.  See if there is a cheaper long distance package available.

These are just a few tips to help you save money on your utility expenses.  Feel free to share any other stories, ideas or practices you go about in your home.