On No. 4, try and plug all your devices into a power strip. Granted, this may not always be feasible (the clock on my stove comes to mind) but try. You are spot on with unplugging cellphone chargers. Those things are inefficient. Just go to one with no phone attached – it will be warm. The electrical energy is being converted to heat and *not* charging the phone.

No. 6: My wife and I purchased a 4-ton heat pump for just under 2000 sq ft of heated space about two years ago. My power bill is about the same as the old, inefficient 2.5-ton unit it replaced. Four reasons; (1) you need about 1-ton of heating/cooling per 500 sq ft in Alabama (the 2.5-ton unit ran all the time), (2) it has a variable speed fan, (3) it is a 13 SEER, and (4) I increased the insulation in my attic. I can now actually feel the air coming from the vents and, again, my power bill is about the same. I also keep it at 68 in the winter and 73 in the summer. If you think I’m crazy, you’ve never lived through an Alabama summer.

No. 7: Yep, I use ceiling fans throughout the house; however, I turn them off during the day when no one is home. Those things are big AC motors (they’re not very efficient as a lot of electrical energy is converted to heat) on the line. No need in using the electricity if no one is home.

No. 9: I took two old milk jugs, washed them, and filled them with sand. I then placed them in the toilet tank. My water bill has not decreased noticeably.

No. 10: If you have small kids, do *not* raise your water heater to more than 120F. They can be scalded very quickly.