Much of the country is still gripped by cold winter weather. But you can put the freeze on energy costs, no matter what it's like outside.

JIM SWEENY, from Princeton:
Simply talking about energy efficiency without giving consumers actionable things they can do, probably isn't going to make a lot of difference in how much energy we use. Remember, the cleanest energy is the energy you don't need in the first place.

Keep your thermostat at 68 degrees during the day and lower it while you sleep. You can lower your bill by as much as one percent for every degree.

If you keep your water heater at 120 degrees, you'll cut down on heating bills. You'll also never scald your hands when you turn on your hot water.

Here's something simple. Keep the damper closed when you're not using your fireplace. It can automatically cut down on the heating costs If you never use your fireplace, you may want to shut and seal the flue completely.

Open the curtains in the morning to let in the sunshine -- and the heat. But remember to close them at night to reduce the chill coming from the windows.