A few habit changes can save you hundreds of dollars each year on your energy bill. Count them off. Five quick tips help you use your energy more efficiently while saving a few energy dollars.

1. Grill It

Cooking with a barbecue grill or microwave can save you nearly $5 a day. Faster cooking and lower wattage features make microwaves an energy efficient choice for cooking. Microwaves use 40 percent less electricity than a stove, and cost approximately 98 cents for electricity for 20 minutes. An added bonus – microwaves don't give off as much heat as ovens.

2. Light It

Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs provide more light than incandescent bulbs and give off less heat for your air conditioner to cool. A CFL uses one-fourth the energy that a regular incandescent bulb, while giving off the same amount of light and lasting 10 times longer. You can save $23 using one CFL bulb instead of 10 standard light bulbs.

3. Switch It

Turn off computers, monitors, printers, copiers and other office equipment when they aren't being used. Computers and printers left on standby can use 100 watts, and leaving a computer on all night may waste more power than the lights used all day. Even in sleep mode your computer still uses 30 percent of the total power it uses when operating.

4. Set It

A programmable thermostat ensures a constant setting to help save you money. Setting your thermostat comfortably low in the winter and comfortably high in the summer makes the difference. We recommend 68 degrees F in winter and 78 degrees in summer. Your cooling costs are increased by 5 percent for every degree below 78 degrees, while heating costs are increased by 3 percent for each degree above 68 degrees.

5. Stop It

Shorten your shower time – after a couple of minutes, stop the water. Shorter showers instead of tub baths save water and the energy it takes to heat it. A typical bath uses about 30 gallons of hot water compared with 18 gallons used for a five-minute shower. You can also install low-flow shower heads, which use 1.8 gallons of hot water per minute compared to a standard shower head that uses 3.6 gallons.