In 1999, residential customers paid an average 8.16 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). And perhaps you recall the average price of residential electricity in 2006 was about 10.4 cents per kWh. The average United States delivered electricity price could reach 14.1 cents per kWh in 2030.

When it comes to short-term natural gas, prices already continue an upward trend that has resulted in weekly price increases in six of the last seven report weeks. And the futures contract for June delivery increased 27.1 cents per million British thermal units on the week to about $11.60.

In the long term, U.S. natural gas prices are poised to head higher as commercial demand increases, according to a report issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas last month. The report noted that domestic natural gas prices are depressed compared with the fast-rising prices commanded on the international market for liquefied natural gas, selling for between $18 and $19 per million cubic feet, about twice the domestic price.

Though carried out with industrial users in mind, the Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator Survey recently determined "80 percent of respondents believe that natural gas and electricity prices will rise 13.79 percent over the next year."

The following checklist offers some changes to consider to help reduce utility bills, edited from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and elsewhere:

• Set your water heater to 120 degrees F.

• Adjust settings on all appliances to levels that will give most efficient performance or operation.

• Replace incandescent lights with compact fluorescent light bulbs or light-emitting-diode (LEDs) or organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). "LEDs use a fraction of electricity of traditional light bulbs," says Arrow Electronics Inc. "By 2020, all bulbs in the U.S. must use 70 percent less energy than incandescent ones do today," says The New York Times. A conventional bulb converts only 5 percent of the energy it uses into light; the rest is released as heat.

• Replace older appliances with newer, more energy-efficient ones.

• Clean or replace filters in air conditioners, air filters, heat pumps and furnace often.

• Put a water heater blanket around your water heater.

• Replace leaky windows with double-pane, high-R value new windows, or at least use plenty of caulking and weather stripping in old windows and then also use storm windows.

• Install or replace insulation in the attic, crawl space and walls to assure R values are enough to cut heat loss during cold months and coolness loss during hot months.

• Insulate hot water pipes and ducts if they extend through unheated areas.

• Tightly seal up utility cut-throughs to prevent outside air from creating more work for your furnace, heat pump and air conditioner.

• Adjust thermometers to settings that are as hot as you can stand it during the summer and as cold as you can stand it in the winter. Also, if you install a programmable thermostat, set is for as cool as you can while sleeping in the winter and use warm blankets. If no one's home during working hours, you can set the temperature to cooler in the winter and warmer during the summer during most of that time too. Use fan(s), especially in the attic, to reduce heat buildup and use fans for cooling before relying on air conditioning.

• Turn off lights, televisions, radios, stereos, computers and peripherals if they won't be used for 15-20 minutes. If you just can't get into the habit of turning off lights when leaving a room with nobody in it, install automatic motion sensor switches.

• If you're remodeling or building a house, install zone temperature controls so you're not paying for heating or cooling unused rooms or areas.

• Install computer controllers attached to digital thermostats, water heaters and clothes dryers, recommends The New York Times.

Your local utility may also offer tips for reducing your utility bills. It would be in the interest of you and yours to seek and use new ways to conserve energy in your home every day.

Resources

Natural Gas Prices Strengthen
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, First Quarter 2008

The Bottom-Line Benefits
Johnson Controls, April 14, 2008

Annual Energy Outlook 2008
Energy Information Administration, March 2008

Natural Gas Weekly Update
Energy Information Administration, May 15, 2008

Energy Sector: Crude Oil Demand from China , India , Rockets Upward
Market Oracle, May 19, 2008

Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings: Online Guide
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

Consumers Warming to LEDs as an Energy-Efficient Solution for Lighting, Finds Arrow Electronics Study
Arrow Electronics Inc., April 29, 2008

The Green Issue Some Bold Steps to Make Your Carbon Footprint Smaller
by Thomas Hannich
The New York Times, April 20, 2008

Digital Tools Help Users Save Energy, Study Finds
by Steve Lohr
The New York Times, Jan. 10, 2008