High heating bills make winterizing your

Ideally, consumers in cold regions have winterized their homes by now in an effort to save energy and money.

But for busy people, back-to-school season soon becomes Halloween, and before you know it Thanksgiving is approaching, and the winterizing to-do list was lost in the bustle.

It's not too late, and it's worth doing. Heating bills this winter likely will be much higher than last year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts. Winter months are predicted to be 4 percent colder, and energy sources for heat will be more expensive.
This winter's spending for natural gas, used to heat more than half of U.S. homes, is expected to be 10 percent higher. Spending on heating oil will see the biggest jump, 22 percent, followed by propane at 16 percent. Electricity spending will rise about 4 percent, and electricity customers are coming off a 9 percent price increase during 2006, the largest increase since 1981.

In dollars, average heating expenditures this winter will be between about $900 and $1,800, depending on the fuel, with electricity the cheapest and heating oil the most expensive. Of course, owners of larger homes will pay more than those averages.

For a few regions and fuel types, you can shop different suppliers for the best prices. But most energy savings will come in one of two other ways: You have to take steps that allow you to lower the thermostat or, keeping the thermostat the same, you need your furnace to turn on less often, mostly by keeping your paid-for heated air indoors longer.

If you are pinched for time and money, here are heat-saving tips that you could probably complete in three hours for less than $100.

Make a plan. Many of the usual home-heating tips are useless unless they allow you to set the thermostat lower.

Sit down with pen and paper and devise a plan for controlling temperature in your home. At what times of day can you set the thermostat really low, without risk of freezing pipes, of course? While you're home, can you set the temperature at 68 degrees instead of 72 if everyone in the household agrees to wear sweaters and slippers around the house? Can you be comfortable at 64 degrees? Will flannel pajamas and an extra blanket allow you to lower the temperature into the 50s at night?

If someone is home all day, make it a routine to open drapes on the sunny side of the house to let in heat. Otherwise, close drapes to help further insulate windows.

If you're undisciplined about adjusting the thermostat, buy an Energy Star-rated programmable thermostat. This device is easy to install and costs about $100. It's basically just a timer that sets your thermostat to a prescribed temperature at various times during the day and night. If you are diligent about controlling temperature the old-fashioned way, by walking over to the thermostat and setting it by hand, you don't need a programmable thermostat. If you're not diligent, you could make back the cost of the $100 programmable thermostat in one year's worth of energy savings.

Seal leaks. This seems like obvious advice, but you have to take the time to find and seal leaks. Walk around the inside of your home. Hold a candle or other flame near the seams in your windows and exterior doors. If the flame and smoke blow inward, you know you have a leak.

"For a pretty modest investment, you can get products like caulking, weather-stripping and foam sealant to plug up those leaks," said Ronnie Kweller, spokeswoman for the Alliance to Save Energy, a group that promotes efficient and clean use of energy.

Also, check recessed lights, baseboards, electrical outlets to exterior walls and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets. As an alternative to adding expensive storm windows, you can cover drafty windows with plastic sheeting installed on the inside.

Then examine the exterior of your house, looking for cracks and gaps, not only around windows and doors, but in pipe cutouts to the outdoors, chimneys and the foundation. For more on sealing, see the publication "A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Energy Star Home Sealing" by the Environmental Protection Agency. Call 888-782-7937 or get it online at www.energystar.gov (Look under Home Improvement for the Air Seal and Insulate link).

Seal ducts. Seal leaky air ducts at joints, starting at the furnace air handler, and insulate ducts that run through unheated basements or attics.

In a typical house, about 20 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks and poorly sealed connections, according to the federal Energy Star program.

But duct tape isn't the answer. It's a poor way to seal duct cracks and seams. Use a mashed potato-like duct sealant called mastic. Use the water-based kind. You paint it on duct joints and tiny holes, and it hardens. Or use metallic duct tape with an UL-181 rating. Search the EnergyStar site for the online brochure, "Duct Sealing" (Also under Air Seal and Insulate).

Close vents. If you have a central heating system with ductwork, go around the house and close heating vents in rooms you don't use daily, especially those where you can close the door and seal off the room. If you have rooms with individual thermostats, keep seldom-used rooms cool.

Change furnace air filters. Buy a dozen filters to last you through a year's worth of monthly changes. If you already have filters in the house, you will be more likely to change them monthly. You don't need fancy air filters. Cheap ones that cost $1 or less each work. Also, cover the filter slot with a piece of wide tape to make sure all the air goes through the filter. Dirty filters block airflow through your heating and cooling systems, increasing your energy bill and shortening the equipment's life.

Do it now. Make energy improvements before the end of the year to take advantage of tax credits that expire after Dec. 31. The credit probably won't amount to big bucks, but it is worth learning about. For example, you would get back 10 percent of what you spend on sealing and insulation, up to $500. So spending $100 gets you back $10.

"People definitely want to get on it before the end of the year and have all their receipts in place," Kweller said. Find details about tax credits online at www.ase.org/taxcredits and www.energystar.gov/taxcre dits.
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