You think it's cold outside right now...

Just wait. The National Weather Service is calling for a high temperature of 29 on Friday and 25 degrees on Saturday after a cold front moves through on Thursday.

(On a personal note, I would like to state my objection to Mother Nature. There is a reason many of us choose to live in the South, and part of it includes our dislike of bitterly cold weather. We do not appreciate this type of erratic behavior on your part.)

Here are some energy saving tips you can use at home to combat the cold weather:

• Take a quick inventory of your home, and see what you might be able to turn off or unplug – cell phone chargers, TVs, lights when you leave a room.

• Set the thermostat no higher than 68 degrees or to the lowest comfortable temperature. Moving the thermostat down one degree means as much as a three-percent reduction in your electric bill. Wear a sweater or sweatshirt inside the house and you can move the thermostat down another degree or two.

• Keep heating system filters clean.

• Keep air vents clear of obstructions.

• Open blinds/drapes on the sunny side of the house during the day and let the sun naturally heat your home, but close them at night.

• Compact fluorescent lamps can replace bulbs in most table lamps and will save up to 75 percent in lighting energy, produce more light and last up to 10 times longer.

• Wash full loads of clothes in the coolest water possible. Rinse clothes in cold water.

• Keep the temperature between 36 degrees and 40 degrees in the refrigerator and 0 degrees and 5 degrees in the freezer. Use a refrigerator/freezer thermometer to check the settings.

• Stop the dryer as soon as clothes are dry, or use the moisture sensor control to automatically shut off the dryer. Overdrying wastes energy and sets in wrinkles.

• Dry loads one right after another. You'll use less energy because the dryer is already heated.

• Use electricity for work (such as laundry, running the dishwasher, ironing, cleaning, etc.) during non-peak hours. Peak hours are between 5-7 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.

• Avoid using the oven during peak hours. A microwave is much more energy efficient.

• Take your showers at night before you go to bed rather than in the morning during peak times.

• Unplug unnecessary electric appliances and equipment.

• Don't have every TV and light on in your home — learn to turn out lights when you leave a room.

• Turn off indoor and outdoor decorative lighting.

• Reduce exterior door openings and closings — weatherstrip and caulk.