With heating oil and natural gas prices projected to be even higher this winter than they were last, we offer the following tips to save you money.

Maximize Efficiency:

Check your heating system before you turn it on for the winter. Keeping your furnace clean, lubricated, and properly adjusted can save about 5 percent on your heating bill

Consider replacing an old furnace. Today’s furnaces are about 25 percent more efficient than they were in the 1980s

Minimize Heat Loss:

Seal up the leaks. Sealing and insulating duct systems can cut heating costs by as much as 40 percent.

Add insulation to your home’s attic. Even if your attic floor already has a couple of inches of insulation, another six inches can help.

Wrap an insulation blanket around your hot water pipes and tank. This is especially valuable for older water heaters and can save up to 10 percent on water-heating costs.

Don’t use an open-hearth fireplace for heat. The heated air that’s drawn from your home and up the chimney offsets almost all the warmth that a fire provides.

Keep your fireplace damper closed when you don’t have a fire burning. This will prevent up to 8 percent of your furnace-heated air from going up the chimney

home for free.

Conserve Heat:

Turn down the thermostat a little. For every two degrees you lower the thermostat, you’ll save about 4 percent on heating bills.

Consider a programmable thermostat. One of these can help you cut heating costs as much as 20%.

Reduce hot water temperature. Save 7 to 11 percent of water-heating costs by keeping your water heater at the “normal” setting or 120º.

Shorten showers. Showers account for two-thirds of your water-heating costs, so even shaving off a few minutes can help.

I hate to think it, but winter is around the corner. Ice, snow & wind can have devastating effects on your home. The time to winterize is before the snow begins to fall. Here are some suggested precautions:

-Maintain gutters. Removing leaves, acorns, sticks & debris from gutters so that snow & ice can drain properly can help prevent dreaded ice dams.

-Trim trees & remove dead branches. Ice, snow & wind can cause weak trees or branches to break damaging your home, car or injuring someone.

-Check Insulation. Add extra insulation to attics, basements and crawl spaces. If too much heat escapes through the attic it can cause snow or ice to melt on the roof. Water re-freezing causes more snow & ice to build up resulting in collapsed roofs & ice dams. Ideally, the attic should be five to ten degrees warmer than the outside air.

-Keep your home warm. The temperature in your house should be at least 65 degrees. The temperature inside the walls where the pipes are located is colder than the walls themselves.