Household Savings Keep the heat down by putting on a sweater. Set your thermostat 5 degrees lower, and invest in a sweatshirt. Replace all regular light bulbs with energy saving bulbs. I live alone, so when I leave the house I unplug the TV, cell phone charger, and use a money saving light bulb. When I am at home, I use only one light. I also take shorter showers. My light bill is 30-35 dollars a month. Turn your water heater to low if you live alone. Simplicity is the best answer. Turn off lights when leaving a room. Turn your heat down when you leave the house and also before you go to bed. Always make sure you have a full load of dirty clothes when you do laundry. Doing many small loads wastes water and energy. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs, they really cut your electric bill down! Wash some of your delicate clothes by hand instead of paying for dry-cleaning. Stop using paper towels and all those pop-up wipes! Keep a box of old terry rags from old towels in a basket under the sink. Make your own spray with dilute cleaning solutions, use that with the rags. MUCH less expensive and way more green. I set the heat at 62 when I leave the house, and 67 when I come home. Makes the heat run less. Keep blankets around the house instead of turning up the heat, also take 5 minute showers. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth. It helps to conserve water and it saves on your water bill. I use my large appliances either early in the morning or late at night, so as not to suck up more electricity (less people using it). Close rooms in your house you don't use, and disconnect any electrical appliance and heat to that room. Make sure your water heater is set to 120 degrees. Some thermostats are preset to 140 degrees, which can cost you more money. For efficiency, clean your dryer lint filter before you put on a new load. Install a low-flow shower head, that will reduce the amount of hot water you use and hence the energy needed to heat it. Air dry dishes instead of using your dishwasher's heat drying cycle.
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