1. Furnace filters are an important component of your heating and cooling system, protecting the equipment from damage and in many cases filtering dust and pollutants from the air. It is important to only use filters that were designed for your system. If you purchase an expensive filter that promises to cleanse the air of many small pollutants, it may create a pressure drop in your system that actually degrades system performance, creating uneven temperatures in your home. Check furnace filter monthly. Many people find that doing it when they pay their gas or electric bill helps remind them. Always clean or replace it when it gets dirty. Write replacement date on edge of new filter- no more guessing when it was changed! 2. Heat pumps are designed to operate efficiently in all weather conditions. Never set back the thermostat while you are at work or overnight because it does not save energy. It actually uses significantly more energy because the back-up resistance heat (which is not efficient) will activate when the thermostat is set forward. Another misconception is that the emergency heat setting on a heat pump should be switched on in colder weather. Unfortunately, this will activate the resistance heat full-time, greatly increasing your energy usage. 3. Water heaters are typically the third largest user of energy in the home after the furnace and air conditioner. Most are pre-set at 140F, which will scald unprotected skin and use excessive amounts of energy. Turn down the water heater heater thermostat to 120F. A second simple energy saver is to insulate your hot water pipes from the water heater 15 feet, and the cold water pipe 5 feet or to the first elbow. Finally, draining the water heater tanks annually to flush the sediment from the bottom of the tank will increase the efficiency of the water heater and prolong the life of the equipment. 4. Standard light bulbs in fixtures should be replaced with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’s) where they are used more than 3 hours per day. CFL’s typically use one-fourth the energy of standard bulbs and last up to eight times longer. In the past two years many new shapes and sizes of these bulbs have been introduced. The cost of these bulbs has fallen dramatically, from fifteen dollars each two years ago to as little at twelve dollars for a pack of four bulbs today.