In addition to weather stripping around windows and doors, seal your heating and cooling ductwork. Leakage from areas such as joints, elbows and connections can be substantial, as much as 20-30 percent. This is especially costly if ducts travel through unheated or uncooled spaces such as attics, basements, and crawl spaces.


Cook with your microwave. It uses up to two-thirds less energy than your stove.

Find the energy vampires in your home, the appliances that are sucking power even when they're turned off. Appliances that use memory or have a clock are running in the standby mode, even when you flip the switch to off. Plug them into a surge protector and turn off that switch to disrupt the flow of electricity.

If you have less than six or seven inches of insulation in your attic, you could probably benefit by adding more. A minimum of R-50 is recommended.

Let the sun shine in through south-facing windows in the winter, and close drapes or shades at night to keep the warmth in.

Close off rooms you're not using.

Turn off kitchen, bath and other exhaust fans within 20 minutes after you are done cooking or bathing. When replacing existing exhaust fans, consider installing high-efficiency, low noise models.

Don't set your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you turn on your air conditioner. It will not cool your home any faster and could result in excessive cooling and, therefore, unnecessary expense.

Don't place lamps or TV sets near your air conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.

Sign up for ECE's Cycled Air program and receive bill incentives of up to $80 this summer. This is a one-time incentive for those not already on the program.

Carefully positioned trees can save up to 25 percent of the energy a typical household uses for cooling.

Repair leaky faucets promptly. A leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period of time.

Consider three-way lamps. They make it easier to keep lighting levels low when brighter light is not necessary.

Don't over-dry your clothes. If you machine has a moisture sensor, use it.

Use small electric pans or toaster ovens for small meals rather than your large stove or oven. A toaster oven uses a third to half as much energy as a full-sized oven.

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