You have the power to control your energy costs
Touchstone Energy has created a home energy savings guide that offers a great starting point to get you on track toward better energy management for your home.

• Home Energy Savings Guide

Below are energy tips from the US Department of Energy.  

• Set your thermostat comfortably low in the winter (68-70 degrees) and comfortably high in the summer (76-78 degrees). Installing a programmable thermostat that is compatible with your heating and cooling system can help you set a schedule for your operating system to run efficiently.
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Use up to 75% less energy when using ENERGY STAR® qualified CFLs.
• Instead of using your dishwasher’s drying cycle let the dishes air dry.
• Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Plug home electronics into a power strip. When turning off these electronics, power down the power strip to prevent stand-by mode from drawing electricity unnecessarily.
• Plug home electronics, such as television sets and DVD players, into power strips, and turn the power strip off when the equipment is not in use. Cable and satellite boxes use large amounts of electricity 247/365.
• Change air filters every month. Dirty filters can increase the operating cost of your cooling or heating unit.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR label on home appliances and products. They can use 10-50% less energy than standard models.
• Unplug electronics, battery chargers and other equipment when not in use. Taken together, these small items can use as much power as your refrigerator.

• Keep window coverings closed during the day – preferably close curtains on the south and west facing windows.
• Use a fan with your window air conditioner to help spread cool air throughout your home.
• At night, lower your thermostat to help cool off the house.
• Close doors to rooms that are not being used to decrease the amount of area that needs to be cooled.
• It is better to turn off your air conditioner if you’ll be gone for more than four hours. It costs more to maintain your home’s temperature than to re-cool it.
• Set your air conditioner to a higher temperature: a five degree higher setting on your air conditioner thermostat will save about 10% of cooling costs.
• Keep lamps or television sets away from the air conditioning thermostats. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.

• Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters and radiators as needed. Make sure they are not blocked by any furniture, carpeting or drapes.
• Keep drapes and shades on the south facing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter and closed at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.
• Reduce water heating costs by lowering the thermostat setting on your water heater. For every 10 degrees Fahrenheit you reduce the temperature, you can save anywhere from 3-5% in energy costs.
• During the winter months make sure your ceiling fan is rotated so that it produces an upward air flow.