How to Lower energy bills over the summer?

Q: – Jason, I live in Texas and it is HOT HOT HOT here over the summer. I bought a Chimney Balloon to fill my damper-less fireplace chimney, but what else can I do. – GW

A: GW – I did some blog searching to find a specialist in the area of saving energy in Texas. I live up north so i thought a southerner would give you better input. Here is a posting to a blog entry that gives some great tips on energy savings in Texas. http://texashomecentral.wordpress.com/2007/04/20/lower-your-summer-utility-bills/ They are short concise tips that are useful anywhere. Follow the link above but here is a snippet from their article:

“How do I lower energy bills in the Summer? a) If you don’t want to block your view, think about applying window film to the glass. Like auto window tint, these applied films will reduce radiant heat while allowing you to see through them b) Replace air conditioner filters regularly to ease the air flow. Dirty filters make the unit work harder to force the air through the filter. On this same note, unless you suffer from severe allergies, use the cheaper 30-day air filters. They do the job while making it easier for the air to flow and cost a heck of a lot less c) Air dry dishes instead of using the dishwasher’s drying cycle (good excuse to put-off putting away the dishes)”