With the economy the way it is today with many unemployed, many who may be facing unemployment, and trying to keep up with rising costs, it becomes even more important to cut costs wherever we can. Therefore, here are five tips you can use with or without the use of wind power to help cut costs year round.

1. Whether you live in a mild climate and use your furnace more than the a/c or in a hot climate and use the a/c more than the furnace, it is important to have your a/c and furnace serviced once a year. Having the units serviced yearly can keep them running efficiently, saving money, and can keep them in good running condition prolonging their life, again, saving you money on a repair bill. On top of having your units serviced regularly, change the filter once a month, more frequently in dusty environments. A dirty filter, even if it is only partially dirty will make both the a/c and furnace work hard, wasting energy and money.

2. To help save on your power bill you can turn your thermostat down in the winter when you leave for work and back up again when you get home. If you constantly find yourself forgetting to do this then, you may want to consider replacing your manual thermostat with a programmable one that can be programmed to lower the temperature at a certain time then, raise it, again at a certain time, this way you won’t need to remember to do manually. Whether you do it manually or use a programmable thermostat, the one thing you do not want to do is use extremely low temperatures in inter or extremely high temperatures in summer, as this will cause your furnace or a/c to run excessively to return the house back to a comfortable temperature, thus defeating the purpose.

3. Seal air leaks by taking a trip to the hardware store and pick up caulk and outdoor outlet gaskets (the ones they use behind the outlet covers on outdoor outlets and switches) caulk around doors and windows. Then remove the covers on all the outlets and light switches located on outside walls, and then place a gasket over the outlet or switch then, reinstall the cover. Now take a sharp utility knife and carefully cut off the excess gasket that sticks out from under the cover (they are generally made of foam.)

4. This will only apply if you have and use a fireplace, and is more of a precaution than a savings tip. Using a fireplace, if you have one, can save you a considerable amount of money in the winter. However, the more you use it the higher build up of creosote you will get, and if you do not have the chimney cleaned regularly you stand the chance of chimney fires. Another thing you should look at is the top of the chimney, is there a screen cover and cap. If there isn’t you have the possibility of birds, that sit on the chimney for warmth, becoming overcome by fumes and falling in the chimney which can block it causing smoke to backup into the house.

5. This one will save you the most money. A windmill to produce your own power can cut your utility bill by at least 60%. That right 60% or more and with today’s technology they can be constructed to fit on the roof and built for three hundred dollars or less. All that is required is a minimum of eleven mph winds, which can be found in just about any state you live in. Plus the windier it is, the more power the windmill will produce, the more you will save.

With the cost of living rising every day and threat of losing your job, it is even more important to use wind power to reduce your utility bill. Click here to find easy ways to use renewable energy sources. This and other unique content ” articles are available with free reprint rights.