Whether you’re constantly running your air conditioning unit to beat the heat, or burning oil to keep warm during a long winter, home energy bills can be awfully expensive. But there are measures you can take to minimize those bills, and to keep those large bills to a minimum. Here are five quick things to consider in order to save on home energy costs.

Weatherization. Make sure your house is tightly-sealed and prepared to maintain its temperature without needlessly losing hot or cold air. In particular, you might check for any leaks around window frames, baseboards, switch plates, and electrical outlets. Use caulk or weather stripping to seal off any air leaks.

Heat. Make sure you are using heat as efficiently as possible. Consider investing in a programmable thermostat, to lower the temperature late at night when nobody is awake. You might also use a programmable thermostat to lower the temperate while you’re out of the house. Decreasing the temperature by ten degrees or so, for just a few hours per day, can yield major savings on your heating bill!

Air Conditioning. Simply ensuring that you’re A/C unit is functioning properly can go a long way toward keeping costs down. Have it inspected annually, before the summer starts, to catch any potential malfunctions before they turn into costly repairs. Also, if you have an outside air conditioning unit, clean it regularly, making sure there’s no grass of debris keeping it from functioning as well as it should.

Water heating. Your water heater is one of the biggest drains on energy in your home. Set it to no hotter than 120 degrees in order to conserve energy. Also consider getting an on-demand or tankless water heater, if it’s feasible for your home.

Lights. There are plenty of little things you can do to make your home lighting as energy-efficient as possible. Switch from old-fashioned bulbs to compact energy-efficient ones. Also remember to turn the lights off in rooms that aren’t being used!

As you can see, there are plenty of steps—both big and small—that can be taken to maximize energy efficiency. Be proactive and make an investment in an energy-efficient home, and you might be surprised at just how much it will benefit you in the long run, keeping those home energy costs as low as possible!