Do a Spring Cleaning on Your Energy Bills

As you clean for spring, clearing out garages and organizing attics, devote some energy to improving energy efficiency. Indeed, as energy expenses continue to escalate, simple steps -- many of which cost little to nothing -- can save you money on energy bills.

Consider this week's heat wave on the East Coast. When temperatures were mild last Thursday, April 11, the price of energy on the East Coast was $26.92 per megawatt hour, according to the Dow Jones Mirant Power index, a demand-weighted average of next-day power prices. But when temperatures jumped to record levels on Tuesday, April 16, the price of power nearly doubled, hitting $50.31 -- a level not seen since August.

"When you look at the yearly average for prices, they don't increase all that much. But they'll increase a lot when there's a strain on the system," says Gavin Donohue, executive director for the Independent Power Producers of New York. ...