Energy - It's Costing You With This COLD Weather. Ways to Save and What to Upgrade.

Every unit of energy you save is one less you pay for. One change, one choice is all it takes. Learn more about our Energy Saving Tools and Rebates. You can also check out our tips below for saving energy in your home. Take the next step and demonstrate the Power of One®.

1. Learn more about how you use energy in your home. You can complete a FREE Your Home Energy Report and find out if a home energy analysis is right for you. Take the next step and develop a customized action plan for achieving your energy-saving goals.
2. Replace furnace filters monthly. This will improve the efficiency of your furnace, extend its life, and reduce dust in your home. Take the next step and replace your old, ineffective furnace fan motor.
3. Clean refrigerator and freezer coils. For refrigerators, on a bi-annual basis and more often if you have animals. For freezers, more often if stored in dusty areas. You can also clean the coils on your window air conditioner and dehumidifier. Take the next step and replace your old freezer or refrigerator with a new ENERGY STAR® qualified model.
4. Turn down the temperature in the winter and turn it up in the summer. As a rule of thumb, for each one degree reduction in temperature in the winter you can save 2% or more on your heating and for each degree you raise the temperature in the summer, you can save 3% or more on cooling. You may consider installing a programmable thermostat. Take the next step and improve the energy efficiency of your heating and cooling system.
5. Wash your clothes in cold water as much as possible—and only full loads. About 90% of the energy used is spent heating the water. Take the next step and install an ENERGY STAR® qualified clothes washer.
6. Install energy- and water-saving showerheads and aerators. Take the next step tosaving water and energy in your home.
7. Plug air leaks in your home. Inexpensive foam strips and caulking can cut your heating and cooling loss by 10–25%. Take the next step to air sealing  your home.
8. Turn off lights when not needed and take the next step by installing energy-efficient ENERGY STAR® qualified light bulbs and fixtures. Lighting represents up to 10% of a typical home's energy usage.
9. When not in use, turn it off—or better yet, unplug it. Televisions, chargers, computers, and other plugged-in devices that are simply turned off can still use as much as half the energy they do when they’re turned on. Take the next step to reducing energy in plugged-in devices.
10. Have your furnace tuned up annually. Take the next step by installing a new high efficiency furnace with ECM fan motor or simply replace your existing furnace to save energy and increase comfort.
11. Get rid of that second refrigerator or freezer. The second refrigerator or freezer in your garage or basement can cost you several hundred dollars over its life. Take the next step andrecycle that old refrigerator or freezer (and recycle your old window air conditioner at the same time).

The Best Energy Upgrades To Tackle First

Sometimes the toughest part of making your home more energy efficient is figuring out where to start. Click Full Article below to see the Pyramid of Energy Efficiency. It sorts home energy efficiency projects from easiest and lowest cost to most complex and highest cost. Use it to develop your own green home action plan.

http://www.mnpower.com/EnergyConservation/ForYourHome