• When anyone leaves a room, ensure the lights and electronic devices are turned off. Computers should be placed on sleep mode to reduce the amount of energy needed for operation.
• Unplug all chargers from power strips or outlets when devices are not being charged. When a device is fully charged, unplug it.
• Change alarm clocks to battery operated models. This also ensures you can get up on time in the event of a power outage.
• Use a solar powered battery charger that is designed to charge different sizes of batteries. Purchase rechargeable batteries for every device in the home that uses them.
• Close curtains on the sunny side of the house during the summer months to reduce heat gain and lessen the amount of cooling energy needed.
• Purchase and use thermal curtains to prevent heat loss during the winter and heat gain during the summer.

Some other energy-consuming products in the home would be ovens and microwaves. Your oven, when set to a high temperature, will consume a lot of energy. The reason ovens tend to consume a lot of energy is because most people cook for long periods of time. You might have a casserole in the own for two or more hours and the entire time it’s cooking, you’re using electricity or gas to cook your meal. As stated, microwaves also use a lot of energy as well as your vacuum cleaner that you might use on a daily basis. Conserve your usage of these appliances and you might find your monthly bill go down.

Part of the reason we pay so much in energy bills during the winter is that we find ourselves doing more to keep warm – turning up the heat, taking longer and hotter showers, etc. The reason for this is mostly because heat is escaping from the home and cold air is finding its way in through the windows and doors. Below is a short list of things you can do to conserve both your heat and your energy.

1. Window seal
This can be bought in most hardware stores and seals your window with a thin sheet of plastic to conserve heat.

2. Close curtains
Closing drapes can help keep the hot air in your home and stifle the flow of cold air – especially if your window has a draft.

3. More layers
Most clothing and blankets will help you conserve your body heat.

Doing these things can not only help you conserve heat, they can make the temptation to crank up the heat less appealing.

You are also going to want to consider small changes such as unplugging outlets when not in use, and setting the A/C a few degrees higher and leaving it on auto, rather than turning it on and off everytime you come home and leave. You also want to set the settings in your home for outlets at a savings mode, to allow you to use the least energy when things are plugged in. A few simple changes really will go a long way.

Nonrenewable energy comes from sources such as the uranium, completely consumed in the production of nuclear energy; as well as the fossil fuels — coal, petroleum and natural gas — that can not be replaced.

Since energy costs will make up a good portion of household expenditures it will pay to make a few changes and then review the impact that efficient energy use can have on the monthly household budget, so it’s both lean and “green.”

Do the laundry in full loads of cold water

Set the temperature of the water heater to 120 F

Use caulking on any air leaks around the windows and doors

Maintain or replace air filters on heating systems and cooling systems

Insulate the walls, ceiling, and floors of the home to retain heat

Monitor the actual cost per mile of local driving for your vehicle.

Monitor the actual cost of a 5-minute shower for your household

Install compact fluorescent lights

Reduce standby power by turning of electronic appliances not in use

Look for eco-labels and buy only energy-efficient appliances.

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There are many options that you can do yourself to lower your bill and keep the cold air out and the warm air in. One major step is to lower your thermostat when you are not at home or while you are sleeping. You can program many thermostats to do this automatically for you these days, and you’ll never even notice the change.

Other ideas are to open your drapes during the day to let the solar heat of the sun help warm your house, then close them tight at night, to keep the heat in. If you have drafts around your windows you can close the gaps with caulk, or put plastic over the whole window. Get a door sweep to block drafts under exterior doors.

Remember to change your furnace filters often–they are not expensive, and help your furnace run more effectively. Or if you have access to firewood, consider investing in a wood-burning stove.

These are just a few of the many ways to conserve energy–and money–in the cold days of winter.