Save dollars! In this economy every penny counts and one way to help save pennies can start right in your own home. Start by installing a programmable thermostat which is quite easy to install yourself. Make sure drapes and furniture do not block the air flow from the air registers. Raise the thermostat to between 78-80 degrees when you go to bed or leave the house. Keep the fan on your air conditioner to "on" rather than "auto", this helps to circulate the air continuously, keeping the temperature more even throughout the house. Another way to keep the air flowing is to set your ceiling fans properly. The ceiling fan should be set to blow the air down in the winter and up in the summer. Also, keep unnecessary lights turned off in the later afternoon and the early evening and wait to use the oven, dryer and other heat producing appliances till the evening as well. During the winter months if you are using a fireplace, turn the furnace to 55 degrees, if you don't all the war air from the furnace will go right up the chimney, wasting energy and your dollars. Use nature as well, shade south and west facing windows during the hottest part of the day and plant a tree. One well placed shade tree can help reduce your cooling costs by 25 percent. As for the obvious, use the new CFL light bulbs. Expensive, maybe but if you buy them in bulk you can get them for under a buck. How about extra around the house energy saving tips? When buying appliances for your home, look for the "Energy Star" logo. Shop during the off season, many heater and cooling manufacturers offer rebates or charge less for installation. Also when doing laundry, wash only full loads of clothes and don't over dry your clothing. Drying one load of clothes after another keeps the dryer hot consistently. Get rid of spare refrigerators and freezers and if you can't part with them, don't store them in the garage. In the summer months they will run on overtime to keep cool. Remember, when you plan to be away from your home for any extended time, turn off and unplug everything you can as well as to make sure to set your water heater to the lowest setting. These are just of few of the many ways to help save energy around your home; there are also ways to save outside your home as well. When you start your car in the morning, don't leave it idling to "warm up" drive it immediately. Same goes if you know you will be waiting in carpool or other lines turn your car off rather than to keep it running. Also don't accelerate to fast as that is a huge gas guzzler. And, if you really want to help, get involved. Learn about energy conservation in your community and volunteer your time to energy conservation projects.

Written by:  Robyn Fitzgerald, BlueCoast agent