Conservation tips Cooking Place lids tightly on pans to speed cooking time. Keep oven door closed while baking to prevent heat loss. With each opening, the oven loses about 20 percent of its heat. Use glass or ceramic pans in your oven. You can turn down the temperature about 25 degrees and foods will cook just as quickly. Preheat your oven only if the recipe calls for it. Water Heating Install showerheads and faucets with water-flow restrictors. Bathing uses the most hot water in the average household. You use 15-25 gallons of hot water for a bath, but less than 10 gallons during a 5-minute shower. Use a stopper in the sink so water won't run constantly while you're shaving or washing dishes by hand. Insulate pipes to limit heat loss. Only operate dishwashers and clothes washers when they are fully loaded. Use only the necessary water level and temperature for a load of clothes you’re washing. Limit the use of the “rinse hold” setting on your dishwasher. This feature uses up to seven gallons of hot water for each use. Home Heating Warm air rises, so use registers to direct warm airflow across the floor. Use ceiling fans in the winter to distribute heat around a room. If radiators are located near cold walls, place a sheet of aluminum foil between the radiator and the wall to reflect heat back into the room. Install a humidifier to add moisture and comfort if the air in your home is unusually dry. Close off doors and vents in unused rooms to conserve heat within your home. Carpet adds comfort and warmth, especially if there is little or no floor insulation. Consider natural gas space heaters as an alternative or addition to central heating, as well as for emergency heating. On sunny days, open draperies and blinds to let the sun’s warmth into your home. Keep vents and chimneys clean and in good working order. Remove dust and lint from return air grills and warm air outlets. Change or clean furnace filters once a month during the heating season. Furnaces consume less energy if they “breathe” more easily. While sleeping, add an extra blanket for warmth.

Conserve & Save Simple changes in your household routines could help you save money on your heating bills.  In fact, for every degree you lower your thermostat, you could  save up to 4 percent on your energy costs.  For example,  the thermostat in your home is set at 70 degrees.   Lowering that setting by one degree will help you save money this winter. Set it even lower for increased savings.