Make sure your refrigerator door shuts properly and that the rubber seal (gasket) is tight. A thin application of petroleum jelly around the seal can help it shut and remain tight. Keep your freezer full—it's more energy efficient. If you don't have enough frozen foods, fill plastic bottles or tubs with water and freeze. And vacuum refrigerator and freezer coils monthly. Keep the underside of your kitchen appliance dust and dirt free for best performance.

In the living room and bedrooms, keep drapes or blinds closed most of the day. During the summer months, this keeps heat out and during the winter, it prevents heat from escaping. Invest in a power strip for your home electronics and turn the strip off when the stereo, television, DVD, or video players are not in use. Keep doors and windows closed. Keep your thermostat set at about 78 degrees in summer and raise it about 5 degrees when you go to bed. During the colder months, set it at 68 degrees and lower it to 58 degrees at night. During winter months, dress in warm clothing. Wear a sweater instead of turning up the thermostat. During hot weather, dress light and cool. Be comfortable by wearing short-sleeves and shorts or invest in lightweight dresses.

Conserve water and energy in your bathroom by taking showers instead of baths. Keep those showers to less than five minutes and you can save up to 1,000 gallons of water per month. Check faucets and toilets for drips or leaks, then repair any that you find. Invest in aerators for faucets that cut water usae to 1 gpm (gallon per minute). Faucets without control can use as much as six gallons of water per minute ! A low-volume toilet can also save many gallons of water every month. Drop those used facial tissues into the wastebasket rather than the flushing and save even more. Conserve more water by replacing a standard shower head with a water-saver model that cuts useage to a comfortable minimum.