Autumn snow in Vermont means Winter is almost here!

The Weather guy this morning said Interstate 80 which cuts right through the middle of the USA might have snow packed conditions today. Halloween is still a week away and people from Kansas to South Dakota are looking at snow today!

School children are wearing their coats today in many a town!

And heaters are kicking in - or have been - warming up many homes in this last full week of October! Heating bills are supposed to rise this year. According to government economists who keep tap of these things - we can expect to pay 10 to 20 percent more to heat our homes than we did last winter.

Act now! Take some simple steps to help minimize the impact our your household budget.

Turn down your thermostat. Experts say you can save 10% off your heating bill if you lower your thermostat by 5 degrees! Not bad.... I'll take that $20 I'm saving and buy some compact flourescent light bulbs. They give about the same light and cost way less to use.

If you swap out the light bulb on your front porch and put in a compact flourescent bulb instead - you could save about a dollar a month. That pays off the bulb in the first few months you have it! And they last for up to 8 years! And that is just one light bulb. How many bulbs can you swap and start saving your hard earned money?

Phantom loads on your electrical system can really add up. When you turn off your TV it can keep using electricity all night long. And turning off your computer while you are asleep and at work can save you over $10 each month. Small savings add up.

You can soften the blow of higher heating bills this Winter. Take the simple steps to lower utility bills and watch your savings grow!

Weatherproof your home before Winter arrives!

If your house if older than 25 or 30 years old you probably have a few drafty doors or windows that seem to let that cold Winter air in.

Most homeowners are aware that air leaks into and out of their houses through small openings around doors and window frames and through fireplaces and chimneys. Air also enters the living space from other unheated parts of the house, such as attics, basements, or crawlspaces.

The air travels through:

any openings or cracks where two walls meet,
where the wall meets the ceiling, or near interior door frames;
gaps around electrical outlets,
switch boxes, and recessed fixtures;
gaps behind recessed cabinets
gaps around attic access hatches and pull-down stairs;
behind bath tubs and shower stall units;
plumbing, cable, and electrical wiring penetrations.

These leaks between the living space and other parts of the house are often much greater than the obvious leaks around windows and doors. Since many of these leakage paths are driven by the tendency for warm air to rise and cool air to fall, the attic is often the best place to stop them.

It's important to stop these leaks before adding attic insulation because the insulation may hide them and make them less accessible. Usually, the attic insulation itself will not stop these leaks and you won't save as much as you expect because of the air flowing through or around the insulation.

Older homes are likely to use more energy than newer homes, leading to higher heating and air- conditioning bills. If you add some inexpensive weatherproofing around those drafty doors and windows you could save some money this winter and have lower utility bills!

Why Pay to Heat the Whole House?

Autumn colors fill the countryside across much of our great continent. High School and College football games are a highlight for many this weekend. The cooler, crisp Autumn air is a welcome blessing for many of us.

As we strolled through the nursery of our local super retailer last night we ran across some Christmas decorations. In October! Yes, the major retailers are already stocking their shelves in eager anticipation of cooler weather and the wonderful Holiday season.

The near-perfect weather this weekend offers many of us the opportunity to get outside and check the caulking around our doors and windows. Today is a great time to seal off as many of those drafty air leaks where colder air might enter our home - or heated air might escape. Heated air that we will be paying dearly for this winter!

These beautiful days of Autumn might just be the best time to put up some plastic on our interior windows - especially on the north side of the house. Maybe add some nice, thick drapes to help eliminate the loss of warm air through leaky windows.

One idea we've been tossing around is how to section off the unused portion of our humble little house and shut the heating vents in those unused rooms. Why pay to heat the entire house when we only really use part of the house? Maybe order a little portable room heater and only heat the room(s) we are actually using?

Vornado VH2 EH1-0020-01 Heater Vornado Vortex Heat 2 Heater (VH2) warms an entire room using a combination of innovative technology and insightful engineering. Features: Easy to use control panel Advanced safety features Contemporary, smart style Full function controls Cool touch exterior Automatic tip over and over heat protection One year full warranty from Vornado

Luckily we can take some simple, inexpensive steps now to help keep those heating costs down this winter and have lower utility bills!