Here are 10 easy steps that you can take right now to save money on your energy bills each month:

1. Move furniture away from heating vents and hot and cold air returns. This ends up blocking the return and causes the room to stay cool or hot. You furniture should be kept away from these returns to get the most use of the energy and save on energy costs.

2. Change your furnace filter. When was the last time you did this? If you change it every month, you will have a more efficient furnace that not only acts as a heater but also generates the air through the ducts for the air conditioner as well.

3. Switch to energy saving light bulbs. As each bulb runs out, change it with an energy saver. You will soon find you are saving energy and buying less light bulbs.

4. Fix leaky faucets. They waste gallons of water. Remove the handle, tighten it with a wrench and chances are you will have fixed the faucet. If not, you can easily install a new faucet which costs under $30 at most home improvement stores.

5. Install a hand held shower head. This will make taking a shower a breeze and cleaning the shower even easier.

6. Fix all windows with cracks. If you have storms with cracks, have them replaced. They are energy wasters. Do this before the cold air sets in and you will save money on your heating bill. Storm windows are easy to replace and can be taken to a glass shop and re-glazed.

7. Install weather stripping on doors and windows. If you are ready to winterize your house for the cold weather, or even if you just want to save on the air conditioning costs as your cool air is escaping all of the time, then use weather stripping, which is easy to get at a home improvement store, to better insulate your windows and doors.

8. Clean the lint trap in your dryer every day. Each time you use the dryer, clean the lint trap. This will not only make the clothes dryer run more efficiently and save you money on energy costs, but will eliminate a potential fire hazard. The dryer has a vent that goes outside as well that should be vacuumed out periodically

9. Never run your dishwasher or clothes washer half full. It costs just as much to run a full washer as it does one that is partially loaded. And while you are at it, rinse those dishes before putting them in he dishwasher as it will make them cleaner and save on your energy costs.

10. Partially cook your foods in the microwave and use it for defrosting foods before adding them to the oven or stove. The microwave not only works quicker, but will end up using less energy. You can save energy when cooking by defrosting your foods that can be defrosted before cooking by using the microwave.

You can save money on your electric bill each month if you simply switch light bulbs when they burn out to more energy efficient light bulbs. Here are some tips on how you can save more energy as well as energy costs on your electric lighting each month:

Install lower watt bulbs

If you are still using older bulbs, make sure that they are lower watts. You may not need a 60 watt bulb when a 40 watt bulb will do. Sure, you want to be able to see, but when you have four of them attached to the light kit, does it really have to be blinding in the room? Save some money on your energy bill by using bulbs with lesser watts.

Take out the bulb in the refrigerator

People in your family may like to look in the refrigerator and browse. You can save some money on your electric bill in more ways than one by taking the bulb out of the refrigerator so that they cannot see in the dark. This will stop them from just looking and will get them to get what they want and shut the door.

Use a night light

If you want to light the way to the bathroom, use a night light instead of leaving a bathroom light lit. The bathroom light burns a lot more energy than the night light and some of them are battery operated. This will save you a substantial amount of money on your light bills.

Turn off lights when leaving the room

This seems like common sense, but some people do not feel that they need to do this and leave lights to burn all night long. You can save on your lighting bill, as well as your light bulbs if you turn the lights off when you leave the room.

Set outside lights on a timer

Set the outside lights to go on during the dark by using a timer. Outside lights are for safety precautions. If you have someone coming in late at night, you do not want them walking to a pitch black house. In addition to timers, you can also set these lights on motion sensors so that anyone approaching will cause the lights to turn on. These are not just light energy savers, but safety features as well.

Switch to new bulbs

New "green" energy saving light bulbs cost a little bit more money than the older bulbs but end up saving you money in the end when it comes to your light bill. Not only do they take less energy when they burn, but they also last a lot longer than regular bulbs, saving you even more money.

Do you want to save money on your water bill without having to make any large sacrifices to your lifestyle? Of course, we all do. There are many ways to do this without the need to really change your way of living. As water bills continue to rise, we all look for ways that we can alleviate some of the costs. Here are a few tips on how you can save water and money at the same time:

Always wash a full load of clothes or dishes

Never load half a dishwasher or half a load of clothes in the washer. You spend just as much money washing half a load as you do with a full load. Get your money's worth when it comes to water by always washing a full load of dishes or clothes in he washer.

Replace ordinary shower heads with hand held shower heads

These will enable you to take more efficient showers and thus save water. You can turn the shower head on when you are done soaping yourself up and save water. Then you can use the shower head to rinse yourself off. You can save a lot more money by taking a shower rather than a bath, contrary to poplar belief, but you have to make it quick. Using a hand held shower head is one way to make your shower quicker and easier as well as water saving.

Wash clothes once a week

You do not have to wash clothes every day. Pants and other garment can be washed on a weekly basis. You can wear pants twice before washing them and nightclothes more than once, too. You do not have to wash your outer clothes every time you wear them. The more you wash your clothes, the more they break down. Make sure that you have plenty of underwear and clothes that have to be washed every day so that you can save water by washing your clothes once a week.

Wrap a blanket around the hot water heater in the winter. This will save the water in the hot water heater from getting cold and can save your heat pump as well.

Saving water should not entail having to take less showers or not flush the toilet as this is not a sanitary way to live. But by following these above tips, you can cut down on your water bills inside your home and save on your energy bills.

Winter will be here before you know it and now is the time to start thinking of ways to prepare your furnace for winter months. Nothing is worse than having an early cold spell and finding out that your furnace is not working or is working inefficiently. Not only do you want to make sure that your furnace works well, you also want to make sure that it is working up to efficiency so that you can save money on your home energy bills.

In order to prepare your furnace for winter, you should take the following steps:

Have someone clean and inspect the furnace

This is the first step that should be done. In order to make sure that your furnace is in good working condition, you should make sure that someone comes in and cleans the furnace and inspects it to make sure that it is working properly. This usually only costs a few dollars for someone from an HVAC company to inspect a furnace and is well worth the cost as a furnace that is not operating efficiently is going to be costing you extra money in energy costs.

Change the filter

If possible, get a reusable filter for your furnace. These can be rinsed out over and over and then used over again, unlike other filters that have to be tossed away. Reusable filters will keep your furnace in good working order which will save you money in energy costs and will also save you money when it comes to buying new furnace filters. Be sure to change the filter every month to make sure your furnace is not only working accurately, but is giving you clean air.

Have the heating ducts cleaned

You can have the heating ducts cleaned when you are getting the carpets cleaned as often the same company that cleans the carpeting will also clean the heating ducts. This is one way to make sure that your furnace works up to capacity and also give you fresh clean air to breathe.

These are just a few ways that you an prepare your furnace for winter, which you will want to do in the late summer before you need the furnace. By preparing your furnace for winter, you can be sure of getting the maximum use out of your furnace and also be able to save money in your energy bills as your furnace will be working in tip top shape.

You can save money on your electric bill each month if you simply switch light bulbs when they burn out to more energy efficient light bulbs. Here are some tips on how you can save more energy as well as energy costs on your electric lighting each month:

Install lower watt bulbs

If you are still using older bulbs, make sure that they are lower watts. You may not need a 60 watt bulb when a 40 watt bulb will do. Sure, you want to be able to see, but when you have four of them attached to the light kit, does it really have to be blinding in the room? Save some money on your energy bill by using bulbs with lesser watts.

Take out the bulb in the refrigerator

People in your family may like to look in the refrigerator and browse. You can save some money on your electric bill in more ways than one by taking the bulb out of the refrigerator so that they cannot see in the dark. This will stop them from just looking and will get them to get what they want and shut the door.

Use a night light

If you want to light the way to the bathroom, use a night light instead of leaving a bathroom light lit. The bathroom light burns a lot more energy than the night light and some of them are battery operated. This will save you a substantial amount of money on your light bills.

Turn off lights when leaving the room

This seems like common sense, but some people do not feel that they need to do this and leave lights to burn all night long. You can save on your lighting bill, as well as your light bulbs if you turn the lights off when you leave the room.

Set outside lights on a timer

Set the outside lights to go on during the dark by using a timer. Outside lights are for safety precautions. If you have someone coming in late at night, you do not want them walking to a pitch black house. In addition to timers, you can also set these lights on motion sensors so that anyone approaching will cause the lights to turn on. These are not just light energy savers, but safety features as well.

Switch to new bulbs

New "green" energy saving light bulbs cost a little bit more money than the older bulbs but end up saving you money in the end when it comes to your light bill. Not only do they take less energy when they burn, but they also last a lot longer than regular bulbs, saving you even more money.