by Renee' Palmer

Created on: January 10, 2008   Last Updated: August 03, 2008

With rising petroleum prices, and even higher energy costs, it is hard to keep up with our electric bills these days. They are threatening even higher prices as it is with natural disaster recovery fees, and expanding industry costs. So how can we possibly keep our energy bills low?

Whether you know it or not, you are, by some degree, wasting electricity, and therefore your money.

Here are a few great tips to remember when you are trying to keep your energy costs low:

Tip #1: Turn it off
Of course this is a no brainer! You are going to save money if you turn off your lights, television or even a ceiling fan when you are not in the room. One of the worst ways to waste electricity is to leave the room to take a phone call or cook dinner. Do not leave these items on when you leave, even if it is only for a few minutes.

Tip #2: Use it less
Using things less often can make a big difference. For instance, instead of washing your dishes every night in the dishwasher, wash them every other night, or when your dishwasher is full. Washing only half a load of dishes can cost you money on your energy and water bill. If you only have a few dishes a night, make an effort to wash them by hand. While diswashers save time, they only save water and energy when your dishwasher is full.

Tip #3: Shut it all down
When you leave the house, do a quick check of all appliances in the house. If your computer is running, shut it down. If you have a window unit AC, turn it off as well (If the weather is good enough to do so). It may be a little warm when you get home, but you can quickly cool it down when you get home and save a lot on your electric bill.

Turning off your water heater when you are not home is a good idea too. You will still have hot water in it when you get home, and you can turn it back on when you do to make sure that you have enough to use for a shower, dishes, etc. To turn it off, go to your electric box and find the switch for it and flip it off. Your electric box should have each switch labeled.

Tip #4: Unplug it
Though it may take a little more effort, unplug your appliances when you are not using them. For instance, the microwave can use power even when it is not being used. So go around your house and unplug things like your microwave, alarm clock, nightlights, etc. This will not save you a bunch of money, but every little bit helps. Also, things like your TV, and other appliances can have a pretty large impact on your electric bill, even when turned off. So unplugging these

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