• Appliances

Appliances in you home can account for 20% or more of your utility bill. Regular maintenance of your appliances can help lower your utility bill and extend the life of your appliances by reducing wear and tear. Beside regular maintenance of your A/C, refridgerators, freezers and clothes dryers, purchasing New Energy Star rated appliances are your best bet to get the most  savings for your money. If your appliances are more than 10 years old, you should consider purchasing new Energy Star rated appliances.

• Refrigerators and Freezers

Fridges and freezers both need regular maintenance and room to breathe. Cleaning the coils behind and under your cooling appliances can extend the life and increase efficiency. Also keeping your coolers full of food and beverages also helps by reducing the amount of air that your appliance needs to cool. Therefore reducing the amount of time your cooler runs. Saving you money. Also try and keep the rear of your freezers and fridges atleast 1' from the wall. This will allow your fridge to remove heat more efficiently, by allowing the hot air fridges create to escape.

• Dishwashers

Dishwashers have a filter below the lower dish rack that should be clean out on a regular basis. If you still have the owners manuel, follow the instructions for cleaning your dishwasher's filter. Cleaning out this filter will help your dishwasher perform more efficiently and extend the appliances life.

• Oven/Ranges

Always match up the proper sized range with the pot or pan your using. By using the proper size range you won't be using too much or too little energy to cook your foods.

• Microwaves

Microwaves are an efficient way to heat food. Use the microwave instead of the oven when possible.

• Clothes Washer

Always coordinate the clothes washer's load setting with the amount of clothes your using. Using too much water for a small load wastes water and water heating energy. You can also switch to cold cycle laundry detergent and save money on your water heating bills.

• Clothes Dryer

Always clean out the lint filter before drying clothes. But if you really want to save money, hang your clothes out to dry on an outdoor clothes line. This method uses nothing but solar energy and uses no eletricity or gas to dry your laundry.

• Heating Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC)

Your  HVAC system should have it's return air filters changed every month. Change the filter every time you get your electric bill in the mail. This is a great way to remember to change your A/C filter every month. Also have your outside and inside coils cleaned every year before the summer begins. This will help you system run more efficiently all summer long.