One of the things I been doing this year to save energy and money is to use cold water to do my laundry. According to Treehugger: "Just selecting the "cold/cold" cycle has the potential to save as much CO2 emissions each year as thousands of miles driven in a car, or even an airplane flight or two."
I have a gas water heater which is a greener option and I also have a front loading washing machine which is more efficient than a top loader. I'm considering getting a tank less water heater when I have to replace the one I have now. During the summer I turn the temperature to the lowest setting on the hot water heater and then I turn it up in the winter. This year I'm just going to leave it on the lowest setting. I'm also using the heater very sparingly. The house is pretty cold but I'm layering my clothes and am comfortable most of the time. The dogs keep me warm at night and they of course love the cold weather. My water bill this month was under $10.00 and my gas and electric together were around $75 so my efforts are paying off.