Reduce your home heating and cooling costs is a way to save on electricity.

In almost all sections of the country, your home heating and cooling are the largest part of your household energy use and provide the largest opportunity to save on electricity bills. Upwards of half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. There are many utility bill assistance programs that utilities and states offer to help you pay for your electricity bills, but there are also many ways you can save on your own as well.

For example, in many climates, running your air conditioning unit at 78 degrees instead of 72 is one way how to save almost 40% of your cooling bill. And the difference in temperature isn’t much. You do not have to roast or freeze to death in order to experience electricity savings and save money. Here are a few more ways to save.

- Make sure the air filters in your air conditioner and heater are clean. This can help you save  electricity. Check with the manufacturer of your equipment, or even with your utility company, to see if filters on your units need to be cleaned or changed.

- Explore weatherization programs as a way to save electricity. More.

-Take advantage of Citizens Energy and its free home heating oil program. Continue.

- While it may seem very obvious, another effective way how to save electricity is to just not heat or cool your home when no one is home. If you are not going to be home for more than 90 minutes or so, turn your heating or cooling down, or turn it totally off if you are gone longer. However, do not turn off the heat all the way in a cold climate because that may result in the pipes breaking. Programmable thermostats are very inexpensive and can help with this.

- Supplement your main heating and cooling unit with portable units. For example, using a fan will definitely help you reduce your use of air conditioning and save energy. Using portable heaters (from how stuffworks) when you are asleep or just staying in one room for an extended period will mean less use of heat as you do not have to use the main unit.

- Adjust the temperature on your thermostat and try setting your thermostat to run less frequently to experience electricity savings and reduce energy wasted.

- Invest in Energy Star systems next time you buy a new unit.

- Another way to save electricity, time the closing and opening of your windows and drapes to reduce cooling and heating costs. For example, on cold, sunny days, opening the curtains and drapes while leaving windows closed will help you heat your home. Conversely, opening the windows on summer nights helps cool your home. Even purchasing storm windows in some climates will reduce heating costs.

- The final way how to save electricity is to check for holes in your roof and in your pipes in which the heat or cool AC air may escape. Yes, a hole, even a tiny hole, has a large impact and is more common than you may think. While it may be hard to believe, but studies show that this can help reduce up to 10 percent of your heating and cooling costs.