Electricity, like so many other things, is costing us more and more as time goes on. Conserving even a small amount of electricity is good not only for our pocketbooks, but for the environment as well. Here are ten easy things that almost everybody can do to reduce waste.

1. Use smaller kitchen appliances when you can. You don’t have to turn on your oven to reheat leftovers: a smaller cooker might do the job more efficiently.

2. Research each appliance you own to find out which ones are actually the most efficient. Surprisingly, some small appliances – like blenders – are huge energy wasters. When you find out which of your items are wasting the most power, you’ll know to avoid using them as much as possible.

3. Keep a well-maintained climate-control system. Have a professional check your heating or cooling units before the seasonal switchover. Replacing dirty filters, cleaning the ducts, et cetera will make the system more efficient. The same is true of insulation. Make sure that your windows, doors, and other “leaky” spots are well insulated.

4. Unplug items that you do not use on a regular basis. Some electronics can draw power even when they’re turned off. Unplugging the rarely-used video game system or guest-room TV can conserve energy.

5. Use your clothes dryer sparingly. If you can install a clothesline, use it on nice days. And when you do use the dryer, be sure to put in full loads. This takes less energy than drying two or three smaller loads.

6. Run only full loads in your washing machine, too. Another tip: use cold water when you can. Heating water for a hot wash takes more energy than running a cold cycle. If the load that you’re doing will be okay in cold water, you’ll save some electricity and still have fresh, clean clothes.

7. The lighting in your house can be a big source of wasted electricity. In addition to turning off lights when you aren’t in the room, you can also save electricity by using energy-efficient bulbs. Another energy saver: picking the lowest wattage that is still effective for lighting that part of the house. The tabletop lamp probably does not need a 75-watt bulb, for example.

8. Electronics are the most energy efficient when they are kept clean and are properly installed. Use compressed air or a vacuum-cleaner attachment to remove dust from the component’s vents. You should also make sure that there is enough space between your electronics and their surroundings.

9. Your refrigerator should be kept as cool as possible – on the outside, that is. If you’ve installed the refrigerator beside appliances that heat up, such as the stove, then the unit must use more electricity to keep its contents cool or frozen.

10. If you don’t have a water heater that heats water on demand (as in: only when you’ve actually turned on a hot-water faucet), you can conserve electricity by turning down the water heater’s temperature. Reducing the temperature by just a few degrees can save power.

These are just ten of the many things that you can do to save some power around your house. Your electric company probably has information about other things that you can do. But even if you do only these ten things, you should notice a difference on your next bill.