Department of Energy. In the summer, keep your thermostat at a minimum of 78°F—no higher. And in the winter, try 68°F.

Most people are actually perfectly comfortable at this temperature—more so than they may think. When elderly relatives or small children live in the home, these settings may not be possible, but they can help most people save money while they are home.

Here is one of the most common misconceptions about heating and air conditioning systems: turning down the temperature all the way will help the home cool off faster, and turning the heat up as high as possible warms a home faster. This simply isn’t the case.

With time, lower temperatures will make the house colder, but it won’t happen any faster. Your air conditioner runs nonstop to reach the setting on the temperature, which is less than what you need to be comfortable. Then, you end up paying way more than you should, and you may not really be comfortable.

The same is true when you continuously get up to adjust the thermostat settings. The AC/heater simply becomes overworked, and this is something you want to avoid. Use your programmable thermostat to keep temperatures stable instead.

When you leave the home, it’s important to use the programming settings on your thermostat to keep temperatures about 10° lower (in the winter) or higher (when it’s hot outside). This way, you don’t waste energy cooling or heating a home that is unoccupied.

However, you don’t want to change the temperature by too much. Let’s say it’s summer and you are away for the day. You shut off the AC completely and turn it on when it gets home. Now, the air conditioner has to work hard to get back up to speed, which may use up even more energy than keeping it at a higher temperature for the day.

Many people are unsure of how to effectively use their thermostats for energy efficiency. Get to know your thermostat by spending some time reading the thermostat. You may be able to use programming options to set different schedules on weekends and weekdays, or to make changes throughout the day.

If your thermostat is over 10 years old, it may be time for a new one. New smart thermostats allow you to set schedules or make changes directly from your smartphone. Ask a local technician about your options.

My wife and I are the happy parents of a sixteen-month-old boy. Having a kid has turned out to be every bit as wonderful and exhausting as our family and friends told us it would be. We can see why everyone we knew with children, including our own parents, told us with that knowing smile, “Your life will never be the same.” They were right. There’s never a dull moment, is there? Every day presents new challenges and responsibilities.

For example, a couple hours ago, my son was screaming at his grandma for taking a bite of his banana. Nap time soon? Sheesh.

3. Use an In-Wall Night Light

Instead of that old incandescent night light just begging to be pulled out of the wall by your young one’s inquisitive hands, consider a safer and greener alternative. LED night lights will safen and cozy-up baby’s room in elegant and energy-smart fashion.

Rats and mice are quite common house pests; once they find your home to be a safe place to live in and that there are different sources of food there, they will be reluctant to leave. Not only do they pose a health hazard, they also tend to cause a lot of damage to various features on your property and will chew through the insulation of your electrical wiring.

This can affect the system and impact the supply of electricity throughout your property and can be a fire hazard as well. Here are some effective tips to prevent rodent damage to the electrical wiring in your home:

Since rodents are nocturnal creatures, you won’t really see them running around your home in the daytime. However, if you are wary, you will surely hear scratching and chewing sounds in the walls of your homes. You may also hear scurrying noises coming from the attic. You should look out for nesting material or droppings and will typically find these in enclosed spaces.

It’s important to check the wiring’s insulation with regularity to ensure that it’s intact and that it hasn’t been chewed by rodents. The unfortunate part is that this isn’t something you can do for wiring behind walls. However, if you are undertaking any repairs, renovation or upgrades, take that as an opportunity to check the wiring for signs of rodent damage.

If you notice any flickering or experience power fluctuation in a certain room or part of the house, or if you find that a certain circuit breaker keeps tripping for no specific reason, get the system checked for rodent damage.

If you notice any signs of a rodent infestation, it’s important that you act without delay and take some steps to get rid of them. Buy some spring traps and rat poison from your local hardware store and set these at different places where you have seen rat droppings or heard noises. Even as you do this, it’s equally important that you also identify where these pests are entering your property from. Place the bait or poison at these points along your home’s exterior walls.

If you find the infestation to be too severe or if you aren’t too confident about using DIY rodent control measures, call a licensed electrician to inspect the wiring and check it thoroughly for damage. If they confirm that the damage has been caused by rats, it’s a good idea to call pest control professionals to handle the rodent control for you. They will provide solutions and give you advice on the steps you can take to prevent these pests from entering your property.

While the rodent control professionals will ensure that the rats are eliminated from your property, they will also advise you on how to seal all the possible rodent entry points in your home. Aside from very evident points such as doors and open windows, these pests can easily squeeze their way into the indoor spaces of your property through holes and large cracks. If the cracks are too small, they won’t shy from chewing their way in through the loose concrete of the walls.