In the last couple weeks electricty rates have been shocking consumers nationwide.  I know in my area I have seen a huge increase in the rates.  With a couple easy reminders you can start to cut those bills down. 

1) Turn off Uneeded Lights:   Lighting is responsible for 11 percent of the bill and by turning off lights you are not using you are already saving.  Make sure everyone in the house is involved.  I have a six year old that turns on every light in the house and leaves them on.  We came up with a fun song about turning them off and saving electricity and now he will not leave a room with out making sure lights are off and water is not running.

2) Switch out Lighting:  CFL (compact flourescent bulbs) are well known for substancial energy savings.  They use 75% less energy than standard bulbs.  If you are like me I do not like the light from the CFL's but I do know they save energy so what I did was put them in different areas in my home which really needed them because of long hours of use.  I put them in all my outdoor Lighting because they are on for long hours and i do not have to look at the light.

3) Install Motion Sensors:   This works well for your outdoor lighting

4) Turn off computer at night and use a laptop instead of a desktop:  Laptops only draw 15-25 watts during regular use compared with 150 watts for a desktop.

These are just some small ways that you can use everyday to help lower your electric bill and save energy.