Energy Expert: Get Your Home Ready for Winter Now

An official with Black Hills Energy says a few simple steps right now can save you money on your heating bills over the winter months.

Alan Stoinski says you should have a furnace technician look over your heating system before cold weather hits, especially if you haven't used it since last winter.

He says older furnaces may need to have belts replaced or a fan motor lubricated. Stoinski says one of the most common furnace issues is people not replacing the filters regularly, which can severely reduce your heating system's efficiency.

He says generally most furnace filters should be replaced once a month or so unless you have a filter that can be vacuumed and then put back in.

Stoinski also says it's worth the money to get a programmable thermostat, which allows you to make sure your furnace isn't wasting too much energy heating your home when no one is there. But he says it's important to set the thermostat so that there is no more than eight degrees difference in the temperature over the course of the day, otherwise the furnace will have to work too hard to get your home back up to it's normal temperature.

A basic programmable thermostat can cost as little as $25, and Stoinski says the device will more than pay for itself over the course of a Wyoming winter, not to mention saving money for years to come.

And finally he advises checking your home to make sure it is "air sealed" so you won;t be losing heat through doors, windows, and other areas. He says you should check to make sure you have enough caulking around doors and windows, and you should also block off any vents that go outside to prevent heat loss.

He says you can take a BTU meter around your house to check for heat loss. Another, even simpler, method is to carry a lit candle through the rooms of your home, looking for any areas where moving air causes the flame to flicker or move.