During the height of winter and summer, power bills reach their peak as well due to people constantly heating or cooling their home. The cooled or heated air can leak through cracks along window and door frames and poorly maintained units can cause unnecessary energy to be used to cool or heat your home.  However, there are many things you can do to reduce the cost of your energy bill every month.
First and foremost, sealing your house properly will reduce heating and cooling costs for those extreme temperatures.  Investing in caulk and weather-stripping to fill gaps, is essential for saving money and energy inside your home.  A home that's properly insulated and sealed improves energy efficiency by up to 20% year-round. Keep in mind; Insulation Materials are also eligible for the 30% energy efficiency federal tax credit, up to $1,500 for all improvements combined.
Another important means of saving on heating and cooling your home is to make sure your HVAC unit is running properly.  Leaking ducts, clogged air filters, and other poorly maintained components of your unit can really make a difference on your energy costs at the end of the month.  Fine-tuning your equipment can reduce energy efficiency by up to 20%. It is recommended to hire a certified technician once a year to inspect your home's heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system for optimized efficiency.
The size of your air-conditioning unit is important for saving money on your power bill as well.  Consumers in the market for a new room or window unit should consider the proper size needed to achieve efficient heating and cooling. A unit that is too small won't cool or heat the space properly and with a unit too big, it wastes energy and is inefficient at reducing humidity.
Most air-conditioning installations today come with programmable thermostats. These thermostats are typically digital and offer settings for times and temperatures, which allows you set a different temperature for when you're away for work or vacation and reduces the need to continually run your system when not present.  Almost all older units can have digital thermostats installed.  Giving the air conditioner a break during the work day and allowing higher temperatures at those times could cut $180 from the average household's electric bill a year according to Energy Star.

Investing in a new energy-efficient unit can cut long-term bills and be cheaper upfront, too. Through the end of 2010, qualifying central air conditioners were eligible for a federal tax credit of 30% of the cost, including installation, up to a total of $1,500 for all projects. Certain states also have rebates available under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment. Act. Florida homes, for example, can get up to $3,350 back on a qualifying central air conditioner in tax credits and energy-saving rebates.
Making small life changes can make a huge difference as well. For example, avoid doing chores during the hottest peak hours in the summer, the more heat that is generated, the harder the air conditioner must work to keep things cool.  That means limiting the use of heat-generating appliances such as the oven, dishwasher, and clothes dryer during the daytime hours when temperatures are hottest, swapping incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs, and closing the blinds are also good ideas.
There are a lot of things that you can do to reduce the energy costs on your next bill.  Fixing leaky ducts, setting thermostats, and having an all around knowledge of the energy being used to heat and cool your home is essential for saving money throughout the year.  Have a certified HVAC technician check your home and get started on saving money.