Following you will find 5 tips to help reduce your utility bill year round with or without the use of wind power. Hopefully these will help you to make ends meet, especially for those who are already unemployed or fear unemployment is a round the corner.

1. This one thing many over look and should not because it can reduce your power bill considerably. Furnace and a/c maintenance, which can save you money in several ways. First, by having them maintained yearly it will prolong there life thus saving you from a costly replacement bill. Second, it will keep them in top running condition which, will keep them more energy efficient saving you money. Besides having the furnace and a/c serviced regularly, be sure you change the filter every month even if does not look dirty. A dirty filter even if it does not appear to be dirty, will cause the units to work harder cutting down on their efficiency.

2. Many people turn their thermostats for a/c in the summer off or way up, and the furnaces in the winter (normally) to an extremely low temperature. Doing this is fine if you do not go to extremes, turning the thermostat off or to extreme high or low temperature will cause your units to work twice as hard to cool or heat the house back to a comfortable level. A programmable thermostat is more affordable today then they were many years ago so, consider changing that old manual thermostat with a programmable one. Then program it to reasonable temperature that will not cause your units to run for excessive periods to bring the temperature back to a comfortable level.

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. If you have a wood burning fireplace and use it frequently in the winter to cut down on the power bill that is a great way to save. However, and this is more of a precautionary tip than savings tip, there are dangers you should know about, like the fact that if you use the fireplace a lot, you will get a creosote build up that is very flammable. If you do not have the chimney cleaned yearly, you run the risk of chimney fires. Another thing to watch for, is the screen and cap on the top of the chimney, if either is damaged or missing get it fixed as soon as possible. Birds sit on chimneys for warmth and it is not uncommon for them to become overcome by the fumes causing them to fall into the chimney, and that can cause smoke and fumes to back up into the house.

5. This is not really a tip as much as a suggestion, (wind power) a windmill in the backyard can produce almost enough power to eliminate your power bill. All you need for the windmill to be economical is live in place that has a minimum of 11 mph winds and live on enough land to erect it. With a windmill and the above tips, you will save more money than you would believe is possible.

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.