Cut Your energy costs by following these efficiency steps year round:

• Update your insulation. This helps keep cool air in your home during summer months and warm air in during winter months.
• Invest in a smart or programmable thermostat. With a programmable thermostat, you can set the temperatures to automatically adjust for when you are home and when you are away. A smart version learns your habits and implements them. Many models know when you are not home and heats or cools accordingly.
• And turn thermostats down in the winter and up in the summer. Dress in layers to stay warm, or use fans to stay cool.
• Make use of ceiling fans, and make sure they are circulating air in the correct direction for the season. Ceiling fans should operate in a counter-clockwise direction during warm months and in a clockwise direction during cold months.
• Use curtains or window blinds to your advantage. Close curtains or blinds in the summer when the sun is out to keep the room cool, and leave them open in the winter to let the heat from the sun warm up the room.
• Seal cracks around the house to reduce heat loss in the winter and cool air loss in the summer by using caulking and weather-stripping around windows and doors.
• Replace older style bulbs with energy efficient versions.
• Save money and ease stress on the electric grid by doing activities that require lots of energy in late evening or night, as electricity demand is at its highest in the afternoon and early evening.
• Turn off or unplug electronics you are not using. Use power strips so that you can turn multiple electronics on and off at once.
• Plug your computer and television into smart power strips. Smart strips sense when a computer is in sleep mode and when a TV is turned off. The smart strip will turn off all related electronics - like cable boxes, video game consoles, and printers.
• Use efficiency settings on televisions, computers, and other electronics.
• Turn off lights, fans, and electronics that are not in use when you leave a room.
• Adjust your own habits to increase efficiency. Turn off lights when leaving a room, set computers to go into sleep mode when not in use, and make sure nothing in your home is covering vents. This allows for continued air flow and reduces the work of the furnace or air conditioning unit.

For more information on energy efficiency and safety, visit safeelectricity.org.