Conservation is another great way to control your costs. Here are our top ten suggestions to help moderate your energy usage.

1. One degree of savings adds up.
For every degree you lower your heat in the winter, you’ll save up to 5% on heating costs. Slip on a sweater and set your thermostat to 68 degrees (or lower) during the day and early evening. Setting the thermostat back to 55 degrees (or off) at night or when you’re out-of-town saves 5-20% on your heating costs.

2. Insulation is the key to savings.
If your home has the proper insulation for your climate, you can reduce the amount of energy needed to heat and cool your home. Get it checked by a professional and make sure it's up to par.

3. Your budget’s in hot water now.
Up to 20% of home energy use is from heating water. Make sure your faucets aren't leaking and remember that showers generally use less hot water than baths.

4. Light a fire and crack a window.
When the fire is roaring, it draws air from the house as part of its fuel. If there's a drafty window or door (or several), cold outside air will be sucked inside—causing cold drafts throughout the house, dropping the temperature, and triggering the furnace. By opening a window near the fireplace (that's the key—the proximity), the air the fireplace needs will come just from there, leaving the temperature stable, and the furnace off.

5. Bats in your belfry?
While not many of us have an actual belfry, it may be time to visit your attic. What you might find are bird nests or leaves in your vents. Proper attic ventilation helps remove unwanted heat in the summer and unwanted moisture all year round.

6. Prevent the blocked vent.
Vents are the lungs of your home—they allow for proper air flow.  Take the time to check for any items that block vents.  Also, make sure your attic has eave (soffit) vents in conjunction with roof (gable) vents.

7. Hands up! You may be losing money.
Walk around your house on a cold day and put your hand up against any light switches or outlets that are on outside walls. If you feel cold air, you're losing money. You can get foam inserts at home improvement stores to plug the leaks. Do the same hand trick around windows, and plug any leaks with caulk.

8. Money is made in the shade.
Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units—but don't block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses as much as 10% less electricity than the same unit operating in the sun.

9. See the light, and lost energy.
One night, dust off your flashlight and head outside. Shine the light all around the door. If someone inside can see any light leaking through, it means air can leak in or out too. Ask at your local home improvement store for materials to seal the doorway.

10. Many happy returns.
Do you know where your air return is? Though not exactly pretty, it’s a necessary part of a heating and cooling system. It's not a good idea to hide returns behind furniture blocking proper airflow.