Tips to Save Money on Your Home Heating Bills

WASHINGTON -- Wintry weather can really tack costs on to your energy bills.

It's expected that the average cost to heat your home this winter could rise more than 11 percent. The Alliance to Save Energy says that energy bills across the region are expected to go up between $90 and $335, depending on where you live and what you use to heat your home.

"In this metropolitan area nearly everybody is spending about 45 percent of their home energy bills just on heat," said Ronnie Kweller, Deputy Director of Communications with the Alliance to Save Energy (ASE).

But you don't have to bundle up inside your home to save some money this winter. Kweller says sealing the leaks around your doors and windows, closing the heating vents or the radiators in rooms you aren't in very often and making sure you have adequate insulation could save you up to 20 percent.

The ASE has a fact sheet for each state and the District of Columbia that shows consumers how much their heating costs are likely to increase this winter, and provides tips on how to lower household energy bills.

The Environment Protection Agency even provides a room-by-room virtual tour with examples of how to cut home energy bills.

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