Money Saving Monday: Utility Bills

I don't know about your house, but in mine the electric bill is the largest bill (outside of the mortgage) that we pay each month.  Utilities can really eat up a chunk of your household budget, so why not try to keep them as low as possible. 
While we all like to enjoy the creature comforts of the 21st century (myself included) we don't like to shell out the big bucks associated with them.  Here are a few ways we try to reduce our utility bills.

• Keep it as cool in the winter and as warm in the summer as is comfortable.  I typically let our house get up to 76 degrees in the daytime in summer months.  Yes it can get warm, but it can save big bucks.  Likewise in the winter we let the house go down as low as 62 degrees at night.  Pile on the blankets and snuggle up to the one you love!
• Adjust the heating/cooling while on vacation.  It's not practical to let your heating/cooling go to extremes on a daily basis, but when you're away adjust it so you aren't wasting electric unnecessarily.  
• Don't run the dishwasher if it's not full.  How many times have you run yours 3/4 full.  If you can squeeze in a few more dishes wait until after breakfast to run it.
• Utilize rain barrels and harness the power of the sun.  When it's cold out, but sunny, raise the blinds and let the sun shine in.  If it's hotter than the sun out there lower your shades to help keep your house cool.  Put up a clothes line!  It might be low tech, but it works.
• Shut the HVAC off!  For 2-4 weeks in Spring and Fall we turn our HVAC off.  We open the windows, air out the house and enjoy the beautiful weather.
• Make sure your doors and windows are well sealed.  If you can see your curtains blowing in the wind it's probably time to look at sealing them up.
• Utilize the grill in summer.  I love to bake, but when it gets above 80 you'll be hard pressed to get me to bake.  The oven heats up the house too much!  In the warmer months we grill, grill, grill--keeping the heat outside, where it belongs.

The list could go on and on, but I feel as though these are some of the most effective ways to save some $ while still being practical.  Do you have a favorite way to save on electric, gas and water? Share it with us!