Do you have a heat pump? During extremely low temperatures, heat pumps switch to auxiliary or emergency heat to help heat the home and when activated, that can draw up to three times the amount of electricity. Reduce the temperature on your water heater for savings of 7 to 11%! Set the thermostat to the “normal” setting or 120 degrees, unless the owner’s manual for a dishwasher requires a higher setting. Make sure you turn off the breaker to your water heater before opening the panels. Insulate the first five feet of pipe coming out of the top of your water heater; or the entire length until the pipe goes into the wall if that is less than five feet. Check the lighting. Install Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs). CFLs are a good choice for home lighting because they use less energy than incandescent bulbs, produce the same output, and last up to 10 times longer. Each bulb can save $40 or more in electricity costs over its lifetime. Learn more about energy savings tips here.