• Have a qualified HVAC professional inspect your home’s ducts and cooling equipment.
   
• Set your thermostat to 68°F when you’re at home and awake, and as low as 60°F when you’re asleep or awake.
   
• Clean or replace furnace filters every month.
   
• Clean chimney and check to see if your fireplace is working properly.
   
• Seal air leaks in the attic, basement and crawlspace, and also around windows and doors.
   
• Insulate inside of windows with heavy-duty, clear plastic sheets.
   
• Check your attic for proper insulation. (The U.S. Department of Energy suggests a value between R-22 and R-49.)
   
• Close curtains or shades at night and keep them open during the day
  Clean windows on the south side of your house to maximize sunlight exposure.
   
• Weather-strip doors that lead to cold or outside areas.
   
• Wrap and insulate waterlines to prevent them from freezing.
   
• Repair leaky faucets.
   

Extra steps you can take to save energy:

• Install a programmable thermostat, so you can preset temperatures for different times of the day.
   
• Insulate the water tank and first six feet of hot and cold water pipes connected to the unit.
   
• Lower the temperature of your water heater to 120°F (for every 10-degree decrease in temperature,you may save 3% - 5% on your energy costs).
   
• Install rubber gaskets behind outlets and use switch plates on exterior walls.
   
• Install low-flow showerheads.
   

Things you can do to improve air quality and reduce potential health risks:

• When adjusting clocks, change batteries in smoke alarms, as well as radon and carbon monoxide detectors.
   
• Consider a ventilation system to increase air circulation inside and add a healthy dose of fresh air.
   
• Clean water-damaged carpets and materials, or consider replacement.
   
• Reduce the potential for buildup of allergy-causing pollutants by keeping your house clean
   
• Take special precaution when operating fuel-burning appliances to avoid leakage.
• Store and dispose of household chemicals in a safe manner.