Reduce Your Energy Bills This Winter, Part II Are you in shock over sky-high gas prices? This winter will bring in big energy bills, too. Read more tips on how to cut them down in size.II

Here are more tips to help you cut your energy bills thiswinter:

• Check out dryers with moisture sensors, high-efficiencyrefrigerators and horizontal axis (front loading) washer machineswhich use less water and energy yet get clothes as clean asconventional units.
• Join the Alliance's "4 for the planet" challenge.Just replace your four most-used 100-watt incandescent bulbs withfour comparable 23-watt compact fluorescent bulbs to save $82 overthree years. If all U.S. households did the same, we'd save asmuch energy as that consumed by 7 million cars in one year!
• Plug surprising "electronic leaks." Did you know thatyour idle TVs, VCRs, cable boxes, CD players, cassette decks,cordless phones, burglar alarms and microwaves continue to consumeenergy when switched off to keep display clocks lit and memorychips and remote controls working? That costs consumers $3 billionannually in energy charges.
• Don't like coming home to a dark house on those shortwinter days? Instead of leaving lights on, put timers on a few ofthe lights in your home or install motion detectors on exteriorfloodlights to improve your home security. After you get inside,the sensor will "remember" to turn the lights off.
• Activate "sleep" features on computers and officeequipment that power down when the equipment is on but not in usefor a while. Turn off equipment during long periods of nonuse tocut costs and improve longevity.
• Let the sun help heat your home by keeping blinds ofsun-exposed windows open in the day time and closed at night.
• To avoid sticker shock at the pump, select fuel-efficient carsand the most fuel efficient SUVs and urge manufacturers to usefuel-efficient technologies for SUVs. Consider new hybrid cars.Improve fuel economy of existing or new cars by doing propermaintenance, maintaining adequate tire inflation and driving alittle slower.