Temperatures are starting to drop, and soon people will see their utility bills start to rise as they spend more time indoors trying to fend off the winter chill.

Many residents have tried making big and small changes to help cut down on energy costs, including everything from having all the windows in a home replaced with double-paned, energy-efficient windows to simply turning down the thermostat and putting on a sweater.

But hidden energy enemies lurk in the most surprising places: small appliances. According to the Consumer Energy Center, small appliances use about one-fifth of the energy used in a home, and that number continues to increase about 5 percent each year. Additionally, the power needed to run small appliances doubled from 1976 to 1995. So, save even more money on your utility bills this winter by using energy-efficient small appliances.

VCRs, DVD players and televisions

Many home-entertainment products are now made following ENERGY STAR guidelines, which can cut down on 75 percent of electricity lost when these items are on standby, according to the Consumer Energy Center.

Crock Pots and Toaster Ovens

Avoid using all that energy heating up a huge oven by finding alternative ways to cook your meals. Find an energy-efficient toaster oven or Crock Pot, which requires enough heat for just a small, concentrated area, and uses just a portion of the energy ovens require. When reheating food or cooking frozen dinners, use the microwave instead of heating in an oven. You could save 30 to 40 percent of energy costs, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

Think Big

Of course, small appliances aren't the only energy-eating culprits. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, replacing dishwashers manufactured before 1994 with an ENERGY STAR dishwasher can save you more than $25 a year in utility costs. Replacing clothes washers manufactured before 1994 with an ENERGY STAR washer can save you more than $110 a year. Getting rid of the spare fridge in the garage and changing the one in the kitchen to an energy-efficient model can save you hundreds of dollars. But don't expect the new models to run the same way as an older model.

"A lot of what we do is consumer education, because these ENERGY STAR appliances run differently," said Curtis Postle, owner of Shaw's Appliance Repair Service and Parts Sales, Inc. in Hollister. "A lot of time customers will call and say their new refrigerator is running really loud and for too long. But, that's how energy-efficient refrigerators work. They run for longer on smaller motors and use less energy. Old fridges would run for 25 minutes or so, then turn off because they were working from bigger motors that got the job done faster."

New, high-efficiency clothes washers and dryers often take longer to wash or dry than older machines because they run differently, too, Postle said.

Think Small

The very small appliances in the house can add up. Do you leave the curling iron plugged in? Your iPod? Your cell phone charger? Do you leave your computer monitor on? These little things can make for a big bill. Put them all together, and you could be spending approximately an additional $25 a month on these items, which adds up to $300 a year.

Vacuum Cleaners

"We don't have many energy-efficient vacuums, but we do have a brand called Miele, made in Germany, that runs on a lower wattage than most other vacuums," said Mike Brownfield, owner of the Vacuum Center of Gilroy. "Instead of running on 1200 watts, it runs on 300. That would use less power. It's not quite the same suction, but you could use it when you don't need that full blast of suction, like when you're doing hard floors and surfaces. Every little bit helps. Of course, there's always the old-fashioned push-sweepers that don't use any wattage at all."

POST A COMMENT

If you are under 13 years of age you may read this message board, but you may not participate. Here are the full legal terms you agree to by using this comment form.