In the past, we briefly discussed insulation, R-values and other items related to temperature and energy. Let's expand the scope of our discussion a bit to include other energy issues and some ideas to reduce energy costs.

First on the list are electrical costs. Obviously electricity is a precious commodity that should not be wasted. If your family is similar to ours, you may have had the experience of walking into a room to find the lights blazing and no one in the room! Obviously, one of the most important ways of saving energy costs is not to use energy if you don't need it!

A second way to save on energy costs is to reduce the amount of energy you actually do use. There are a variety ways to do this. For example, you may be able to reduce the wattage of light bulbs to still provide the amount of light needed while reducing electrical consumption. You can use timers and/or electric eyes to turn lights on or off as needed to reduce energy costs. (The night lights with motion detection are a great step in the direction of just having a light on when it is actually needed rather than having it on all the time.)

Of course these strategies don't just apply to lighting. I've heard of people with electric hot water heaters who have set them up so that the major portion of water heating takes place over night to take advantage of the lower electrical rates.

Similarly, you can take advantage of nature to help with your heating and cooling efforts. For example, during the winter you may want to make sure the drapes and curtains over the windows on the south side of your house are open to take advantage of the solar gain and to gather some "free" heat. Over night you'll want to make sure the drapes are closed to help keep the warmth in and the cold out.

Of course during the summer you'll do just the opposite-you'll want to make sure everything is closed during the heat of the day but opened for the cool evening breezes. This way you can take advantage of Mother Nature's "free" air conditioning.

Using modern, energy efficient appliances also helps reduce energy consumption. Keeping appliances in top operating condition-whether new or old-also reduces energy consumption. For example, keeping the refrigerator cooling coils free from dust can help the efficiency of the appliance. Similarly, keeping your stove and oven clean and in good working order can reduce energy costs by increasing heat transfer efficiency, thereby reducing the amount of energy needed to provide a given amount of cooking capability.

Although finding and eliminating one big energy waster is a great way to provide large energy savings, sometimes eliminating a variety of small energy wasters can also add up to substantial savings. Be alert to opportunities to save-whether they're large or small.