According to The Houston Chronicle, two Texas legislative committees will hear from electricity retailers, regulators and others this week regarding the current state of power deregulation.

The newspaper says that Texas Public Utility Commission Chairman Paul Hudson is expected to speak, along with representatives from the three largest power retailers in the state—TXU Energy, Reliant Energy™ and Direct Energy—and consumer advocates. The meeting is apparently in response to this year's run-up in power prices in Texas. The Chronicle is speculating it may be a sign that lawmakers will consider making changes to Texas' electricity market rules.

For more information, check out the full article Lawmakers will meet on power deregulation.

No matter who is giving the advice, one of the most recommended ways to conserve energy and lower your bills is performing an energy audit on your home. A home energy audit will pinpoint the areas of your house that use the most energy and suggest the most effective measures for cutting your energy costs. It can be as easy as conducting a simple home energy audit yourself and contacting your local utility for tips and advice, or you can take it a step further by investing in an independent energy auditor for a more comprehensive examination.

Get a head start on your audit by visiting the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Web site to take advantage of a wealth of tools and tips. They have a section dedicated to do-it-yourself audits and advice on what to look for if you decide to have a professional home energy audit. You can also evaluate your energy use with a variety of energy calculators.

Energy Auditing Tips
Here are just a few of the great tips suggested by EERE:

• Check the insulation levels in your attic, exterior and basement walls, ceilings, floors and crawl spaces.

• Check for holes or cracks around your walls, ceilings, windows, doors, light and plumbing fixtures, switches and electrical outlets that can leak air into or out of your home.

• Check for open fireplace dampers.

• Make sure your appliances and heating and cooling systems are properly maintained. Check your owner's manuals for the recommended maintenance.

• Study your family's lighting needs and use patterns, paying special attention to high-use areas such as the living room, kitchen and outside lighting. Look for ways to use lighting controls—like occupancy sensors, dimmers or timers—to reduce lighting energy use, and replace standard (also called incandescent) light bulbs and fixtures with compact or standard fluorescent lamps.

By following these tips to perform a home energy audit, you can reduce your energy consumption and make a positive impact on both the environment and your monthly utility bills!

For more information on saving money by reducing your energy bills, check out all of our energy saving tips.

TXU Electric Delivery is encouraging consumers to do a fall check-up of their homes and businesses to see how they can conserve energy year-round. For example, did you know that you can reduce annual energy bills by more than $250 by having your home weatherized? Typical weatherization measures include installing insulation, sealing ducts, tuning and repairing heating and cooling systems, mitigating air infiltration and reducing base load consumption.

Electric Delivery's Energy Efficiency Program consists of eight components that assist in making your home or business more energy efficient. This program's goal is to lower energy usage system-wide. Some components are aimed at consumers, others target businesses.

"Our programs provide incentives to contractors, which the contractors can pass on to the consumer, to help encourage consumers to install energy-efficient appliances or make adjustments or upgrades to their homes or businesses that will result in using less energy," said Michael Stockard, energy efficiency manager, Electric Delivery.

Over the life of the energy efficiency program through 2005, TXU Electric Delivery has saved over 350 megawatts of peak demand or enough energy to power 73,500 homes. One megawatt equals the amount of energy used by 210 homes for one year. The company says even more energy savings are on the way in 2006.