Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the great advice and feedback! Someone said I didn't give
much info on my home, electric rate, etc. My home was built around
1982 and is 1600 sqft. It's on a concrete slab with an attic spanning
the entire length of the house. It's also all electric with central
air and heat.

The house was built with small 35"x35" windows in the bedrooms and a
35"x70" window in the living room -- all about 4 feet off the ground.
I was told this house was built during the early 80's 'energy crunch',
so I'd think this would help. We have curtains and blinds in every
window though.

The biggest thing I think that's pinging us is the french doors I put
in our dining room/kitchen (pretty much the same room). They're all
glass doors, but we have drapes over them. I also didn't finish out
the doors, so though there's no gaping huge hole, it's not sealed all
that well. I'm sealing and finishing this next paycheck.

I'm not sure how insulation is rated, but I'll get into my attic and
measure the thickness of the insulation. Also we have a three bedroom
house, but one bedroom is a guest room we rarely use. Would it be
practical to close the air vent in this room and keep the door closed?
I'd say that room is about 300 sqft, so that'd mean we're
heating/cooling only 1300 sqft instead of 1600.

As for the dishwasher, I do have a new one (about one year old), and it
does have the option to turn off heated drying. I'll start using that
instead. Also the clothes dryer is in a utility room, so I'll close
the vent in there and keep that door shut when being used. That might
help alittle too.

I think the key is getting the house better insulated. I'm not sure if
there's anyway to better insulate the walls and windows (short of
replacing the windows which is $$$), but I do plan on getting more
insulation for the attic.

Thanks again for all the feedback...

Sam