Aug. 6--Suffering through the hottest summer in years, Texans weary of high electric bills are looking for ways to conserve energy and make their homes more efficient.

Rockwall resident Bill Spear scheduled a home energy assessment shortly after getting his last bill.

"You get an $800 one, which we did last month, and you're saying I'm going to need to get off my fanny and really find a way to stop this," he said.

Companies said they've noticed a growing shift toward energy management -- including a decline in usage per customer, inquiries about ways to cut bills and increased demand for home energy audits.

Houston-based Reliant Energy has seen average electricity use per customer decrease 8 percent since 2005, when natural gas and electricity prices began to rise.

And electricity providers said that's not necessarily a bad thing.

"You know, there are power plants that run only 15 days a year on the hottest days of the year," said Reliant spokeswoman Pat Hammond. "Why would we want to build more power plants when we could use the plants that we have more efficiently by shifting our use to off-peak periods?"

At Richardson-based Cirro Energy, the number of calls from people asking how to cut bills is on the rise. And sales at the company's online Smart Shop, which carries advanced thermostats and high-efficiency light bulbs, have tripled over last year.

"Many of our customers are comparing their usage to last year, which was unseasonably cool for a Texas summer," said Tim Bell, Cirro executive vice president. "Many are making conservation efforts for the first time in their lives."

An audit a day

Dallas-based Current Energy said it now conducts one home energy audit per day, compared with one per week last year. Traffic is also up at the company's retail store at Knox Street and McKinney Avenue.

"We have people coming in from Highland Park on a regular basis with $2,000- to $3,000-a-month electric bills," said partner Joe Harberg. "And they're like, 'I don't know what to do. I don't want to spend this kind of money.' "

Mr. Harberg said easy, cheap ways to save power include keeping air-conditioning units at peak efficiency, getting on a fixed-rate plan, programming the thermostat and switching some bulbs to compact fluorescents. Unplugging charging cables for mobile devices when not in use could also have a big impact on the monthly electric bill.

Still, it may be best to first understand the energy weaknesses in a home before making changes.

Home energy auditor Tex Energy Solutions analyzes parts of the home, treating them as an interconnected system, said managing director Jerold Davis.

The company hunts for airflow leaks at gaps such as electrical outlets, inspects insulation in the attic and checks the efficiency of heating and cooling units.