Heating and cooling systems
Heating and cooling on average make up nearly 50% of your electric bill, so it's not a wise idea to over-looking your heating and cooling system. Even the newest and most efficient heating and cooling units will not save you money if you do not take the time to make sure your house is insulated and sealed properly as mentioned above. This alone can save you anywhere from 20 to 50 percent on money used towards heating and cooling your house.

When assessing your heating and cooling system, remember to adjust your thermostat so the temperature during the winter is kept at the lowest comfortable level, and during the summer your house is kept at the highest comfortable temperature to minimize the amount of work your unit will have to perform to achieve the desired temperature. Proper maintenance also plays a key role in maintaining a good heating and cooling system. Change the filters on your furnace once a month or as needed, clean warm-air registers, radiators, and baseboard heaters and ensure all are not blocked by any obstructions. Performing all of these tasks regularly will allow your unit to work more efficiently.

Below is an example of what your furnace's air filter should NOT look like:

Perhaps one of the best ways to cut back on heating and cooling costs is to use the help of Mother Nature. During the winter, allow the warmth of the sun from the south side (The side that receives the most sunlight) to leak into your house to provide extra warmth, and during the summer close shades and blinds on the same side of the house to help block out the heat of the sun. You may also want to consider planting trees on your south side that will help block the sun during the summer, but allow the sun light to pass through during the winter when the trees are free of leaves.

Another important part of your heating and cooling system is right below your feet - your duct system. If not insulated properly, you may lose more than 50% of your hot (or cold) air before it reaches its destination in your living area. Take the time to make sure your duct work does not have any lose joints, obvious holes, or kinks in it. If no insulation exists around your ducts, you're better off letting a professional do the work for you. You can make up the costs in around 5 years with the savings you will achieves with a properly insulated duct system.

Hot Water Heaters
On average, you will spend around 13% of your electric bill on heating water for showers, washing clothes and dishes, as well as preparing food. There are several ways that you can help lessen the amount of work your water heater has to do in order to keep the water heater hot which include using less hot water (obviously), turning down the thermostat on the water heater, installing insulation around the water heater, or buying a new Energy Star approved unit when the time is right.

The ultimate solution to reducing hot water usage in your home would be to not use hot water at all. Ever. But this is a difficult thing to do, so instead take showers instead of baths, as they use less hot water than a bath does. Also be sure to fix any leaking faucets or pipes as soon as you can. They maybe wasting gallons of water each and everyday they go unattended - costing you money you don't need to be spending.

When purchased and installed, most water heaters come from the factory with their thermostats cranked all the way up which is most of the time too hot to be used safely. Instead, turn the thermostat down to around 120F in order to save electricity (or gas if your unit is powered by gas). Another way to save money is to purchase insulation specific for the type of water heater you have in your home. Refer to your unit's instructions on how to properly affix the insulation to the unit itself. You may also see some benefits by applying insulation to the first 5 or 6 feet of piping that comes out of your water heater.

Lighting
Lighting makes up around 11% of your electric bill. This is probably the easiest way for you to save money since making changes to your lighting setup can be done by nearly anyone - unless you don't have arms.

There have been many advances over the years in lighting technology that use up to 75% less electricity than old-fashioned lights. Compact fluorescent lights (CFL for short) use about one quarter of the amount of electricity that a normal incandescent light bulb would use, and they last about 10 times longer on average.

If you have lighting outside of your home, make sure the lights are attached to photocells or motion sensors to reduce the amount of time that they are on. Motion sensors are a great way to reduce lighting costs while keeping your family safe and secure from would-be robbers.

Pictured above, CFLs are a great way to reduce energy costs.