With the summer heat coming to the majority of the United States, more and more people wonder what they can do to lower their electric bills. That said, here are the top tips we?ve found. Heating and Cooling

Save money on heating and cooling – As much as 50% of your home’s energy costs come from heating and cooling. In the summertime that of course stems from cooling using your air conditioner. You can lower these costs by doing small things like keeping your windows and doors closed while you are using your AC and insulating them to prevent air leakage. You can also save money by changing your air filter, insulating the air ducts and keeping the AC unit in top working condition. Another money saving tip is to install an automatic thermostat, which you can program to turn off in the middle of the night and during the day when nobody needs it running.

Appliances – Sometimes when you stop and think about it, we are people who need appliances to keep us happy in our homes. For instance most of us own air conditioning, refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, disposals, as well as washers and dryers. This list of essentials does not even cover clocks, TVs or radios, water heaters, and ceiling fans, not to mention cell phones that need to be plugged in, computers, printers and assorted sound equipment. Thus, when you purchase appliances for your homes pay special attention to the energy saver listings that the manufacturer warrants.

Water Heater – Next to the heating and cooling costs, the second largest energy expenditure in most families goes to heat the water they bathe with and use to clean dishes. Purchasing a water heater that offers advanced technology and is an energy saver will definitely lower your energy bill.

Lighting – Many will be shocked to hear that lighting costs the average homeowner approximately 20% of their electric bill. Sure, your mother always told you to turn off the lights in a vacated room, and that helps tremendously, however you also need to remove the incandescent light bulbs that may still be in your home and replace them with CFLs (compact fluorescent light bulbs) that mostly come in those weird spiral bulbs. Those newer bulbs use 75% less energy than the incandescent bulbs! Startling, but true, and the cost of the new bulbs will easily be made up within 6 months of usage because if you?ll remember they last approximately 10 times longer than an incandescent bulbs.

Small Electronics – You may not realize it but even when a small appliance is in standby mode, meaning it’s not in use but it’s ready to be used, it is still eating up energy by displaying lights or time or keeping the unit quietly running. Look for models that can be easily turned completely off, or opt to unplug small electronics when not in use.

Office Electronics – From computers to printers, faxes, scanners and other pieces of office equipment, these devices could be costing you a lot of money. Start by always turning every piece of equipment off when not in use, and save even more money by buying energy saving models.

You don’t have to be a genius to lower your monthly electric bills, just follow these easy and straightforward tips.

Author: J. Dyess has been in the Texas Electricity business segment for the past 7 years and published many articles on Texas Electric news.