If you're wondering why your central air conditioning unit is keeping your home too cold in the warmer months, it may be what's affecting your programmable thermostat. If you keep heat-producing items like lamps, electronics and appliances near your thermostat, it can throw off the entire air conditioning system. It will read your home as much warmer than it actually is and force the system to work harder. Be sure to place your thermostat away from heat-producing items and out of the sun's rays.

Does your home have an attached, enclosed garage? You may want to reconsider parking your car inside. A study by Health Canada looked at the indoor air quality of 100 homes. Those with an attached garages had higher levels of benzene, and those that did not have attached garage had little to no readings. Why does this matter? Because benzene is a toxic chemical that's related to gasoline. But if you want to park your car indoors, do this: Leave the garage door open for a few minutes after you get home. This will help flush out the toxic chemicals to keep your indoor air clean.

With the average U.S. household spending around $2,000 annually on energy costs, there are lots of things you can do to cut waste and save money. While going around the house and unplugging everything is effective, it's not the most practical solution. The Department of Energy has come up with a list of 12 energy guzzlers that draw power when plugged into a socket, even if they're turned off. While things like telephones and modems may be tricky to turn off, items like computers, televisions, DVD players, toaster ovens, coffee makers, stereos, phone chargers and even lamps in rarely used rooms can help make a difference. Unplugging these items can reduce your bill by as much as 10 percent -- or $200.