Heating your home or apartment is not just something you want to do during the winter months, it's something you need to do to survive. With energy prices expected to be up to 50% higher this winter many folks are actualy scared, because they find it hard to pay the heating bills every winter, and this year may be the worse in history.

I live in a small apartment in the Northeast U.S. in the state of Pennsylvania. In the winter it gets very cold here. It's normal for us to have very cold temperatures from November - March, and during the months of January and February, we often have weeks where the daytime temperature never gets above 15 degrees.

I heat my apartment here with baseboard electric, and it's very expensive. I usualy only heat two rooms, sometimes three. My monthly heating bill used to average $200 during the winter months sometimes closer to $250. My apartment is not insulated that good or built correctly, because the floor gets very cold during the winter and feels like a refrigerator during the cold months, requiring me to wear slippers most of the time.

Making a few alterations I managed to lower my winter heat bill to an average of $125 per month, which is a nice savings for me. If you follow the tips I am giving you here, you should also be able to lower your winter heat bill nicely, and save yourself

some money.

Heat Bill Saving Tips - Winter Heating Tips For Saving Money:

1. Lower The Thermostat

Lowering the thermostat is the easiest and one of the most cost effective ways of saving money. Try dropping it a few degrees, maintaining safe levels for good health.

2. Don't Block The Heat

Don't block the floor registers, baseboards or radiators with rugs, furniture or other items. The warm air must be able to circulate around them for maximum efficiency.

3. Seal The Gaps And Cracks

Walk around the outside of your home or apartment, and slowly examine the windows, doors, siding, water faucets and any other through-the-wall openings.Any such cracks or openings should be caulked and sealed. Cold air can easily get in, and warm air escape.

4. Clean The Filters

If your furnace or heating system uses filters, make sure you clean or check them monthly. A dirty or clogged filter makes the heating system work harder and produce less heat, wasting your money.

5. Reverse The Fans

If you have ceiling fans that have a reverse setting, turn them on low and on reverse when your using a lot of heat. The warm air rises and often gets trapped near the ceiling area, the reverse air flow from the fan will help circulate the warm air around your whole room.

6. Unleash The Beast

If your furnace seems to heat the whole basement, open the door going down to it, The heat accumilating near it will rise and can help heat the living areas.

7. Heat From Cooking

If you do any winter baking in the oven, always leave the oven door openwhile it cools down, to allow the heat to help keep you warm while making sure any children and pets are not in harms way.

8. Close The Dampers

Warm air rises fast, so make sure when your chimney fire is completely out, that you close the damper, or else your letting warm air escape faster than a prisoner on the run.

9. Cut The Branches

Trees protect us from wind and help shade us from the hot summer sun, but they can also cost us money. Inspect your trees in the cool months and cut off any branches that block the winter sun from getting into your windows. That winter sun is at a lower angle then it is in the summer, but it still helps warm a room when it shines in.

10. Dress Unlike The Rest

If you sit around the house in shorts and a loose fitting shirt or blouse in the winter you will probably feel cold, and have the desire to turn up the thermostat. Dress for the season, and try wearing a sweater. Dressing warmer will make you feel warmer, so you can keep the thermostat turned down lower and save money.