With energy costs continuing to rise, many homeowners are curious as to how to save money on their electric bill this year. In the end, you’ve got to be a little more innovative when it comes to real savings . Here are some tips to help you save on your energy bill this year:

1. Lower your thermostat. Every degree above 70 increases your cost by 7 percent to 10 percent.
2. Check your filters. Dirty filters may increase your costs by up to 20 percent and could also damage the heating and cooling system.
3. Vent air from your radiator. Venting the air from your radiator makes it more efficient. The key on the end of the radiator costs less than $1.
4. Install a programmable thermostat. Program it to be lower while everyone is at work.
5. Clean the coils that cool your refrigerator. Your refrigerator uses a lot of electrical energy, and cleaning the coils that cool it will help it work more efficiently.
6. Lower the temperature on your hot water heater. Hot water heaters should be between 115 and 120 degrees.
7. Replace the shower head with a low-flow shower head. This will cut down on your natural gas bills, because your water heater will not have to work as hard.
8. Wash in cold water. The cost comparison here is a no brainer: it costs more or less 38 cents to wash a load of clothes in hot water. It costs about 1.5 cents to wash it in cold.
9. Use your dishwasher. Washing dishes by hand can use as much as 20 gallons of water, whereas a dishwasher only uses about 15 gallons of water.
10. Fill your motorized appliances to capacity. Air conditioning units, freezers, washers and dryers, refrigerators, and dishwashers operate most efficiently when they’re operating at full capacity. When they’re not working at full capacity they pull more energy than they use.

Even using just a few of these tips should save you dollars and cents off of your next energy bill. Using good common sense, like investing in compact fluorescent light bulbs and turning off the lights when you leave the room, should further reduce your bill and add to your savings.

Author: Lisa Brown is a Sales and Marketing Associate for Almost Home USA, a temporary housing company whose goal is to provide such excellent experiences that clients feel almost home.