Whether you love winter or can't wait for spring, there's no doubt that furnaces have been working overtime recently. But even with cooler temps, a few conscious energy choices and a little effort to weather-seal your home can make a big difference in your electricity bill.

Keep your home warm and energy efficient this winter with these handy tips from Reliant.

Do the basic maintenance

• Check for leaks in the weather stripping around door frames and windows; replace if necessary.
• Cover drafty windows with tight-fitting drapes or insulating shades.
• Replace older thermostats with programmable units, such as the Nest Thermostat E, which learns individual household's preferences and programs itself to reduce heating and cooling bills up to 15 percent.*
• Open blinds on sunny days to let the sun warm the house naturally. Close them in the evening to keep the cold out.
• Have your chimney inspected, and keep the damper closed when it is not in use.

Other ways to control costs

• Sign up for average billing to receive a more consistent bill throughout the year. With average billing, your bill is calculated based on the last 12 months of usage at your address.
• Sign up for AccountAlerts, which can notify you when your costs exceed a certain amount or your daily usage spikes by 25 percent.
• Download the Reliant app to see your usage, get alerts, check your balance, and manage your account wherever you are.
• Get a heater tune-up to ensure your system is in good working order.
• Call 1-855-887-2190 to ask Reliant energy experts how to economize your home energy usage.

Here are a few more energy-saving tips you can use year-round.

Say the word to save
Running an electric heater for just a few days can significantly impact your monthly bill, and customers with electric heat often see their highest bills of the year in the winter. For those looking to save beyond the basic maintenance weather tips and incorporate more tech-savvy options, Reliant just launched its new Speak & Save 24 plan, featuring the Nest Thermostat E and Google Home. It's a first-of-its-kind plan, allowing customers to combine powerful smart home technology with the ability to use voice commands to control energy usage — and so much more.**

"Making our customers' lives easier and providing innovative tools to help them take control of their energy cost is an important part of who we are as a company," says Reliant president Elizabeth Killinger. "By teaming up with popular consumer brands like Nest and Google, we've created a plan that supports the lifestyles and interests of our customers. Couple that with our new voice commands, and we're further into an era of personal power that makes smart home technology widely available and easy to use."

Customers who sign up for the plan will receive 24 months of price security plus a Nest Thermostat E and Google Home, courtesy of Reliant. Think of it: If the temperature needs to be changed, just ask Google Home to "make it warmer" and Google Assistant adjusts the Nest Thermostat E.

With Google Home, customers can get hands-free help to play music, get answers from Google, check the weather, and more. Reliant has also launched its Action for Google Assistant, allowing customers to manage their Reliant accounts and monitor their household's energy usage with simple voice commands.

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*Based on independent studies by Energy Trust of Oregon and Vectren of actual Nest Thermostat devices.

**Changes in law or regulatory charges allowed by the Public Utility Commission of Texas will impact your price. Enrollment in the Reliant Speak & Save 24 plan provides one Nest Thermostat E and one Google Home per household and requires a residential service address served by Reliant. Allow up to 8 weeks for delivery. Nest Thermostat E is a trademark of Nest Labs, Inc. All rights reserved. Google Home is a trademark of Google LLC. Reliant is a registered service mark of Reliant Energy Retail Holdings, LLC. Reliant Energy Retail Services, LLC (PUCT Certificate #10007). ©2018 Reliant Energy Retail Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved.

Outside it may be frightful, but inside it can be delightful.

Photo courtesy of Reliant

Outside it may be frightful, but inside it can be delightful.