The following conservation tips can help you significantly reduce your natural gas bills...but you must take action!

1. Insulate, especially under the roof. Caulk and weather-strip doors and windows.
2. Install storm windows. Use drapes and blinds to reduce loss of heat through glass.
3. Keep furnace filters clean and your heater operating efficiently.
4. Install a programmable thermostat. It can save as much as 33 percent on energy bills and can usually pay for itself within a year. (Prices start at about $30.)
5. Set your programmable thermostat to 68º or lower during active hours. Lower the temperature at night and when everyone is away.
6. Use kitchen and bath ventilating fans sparingly in cold weather. In just one hour, these fans can blow away a houseful of warm air.
7. Make sure doors fit snugly, and are weatherstripped.
Repair any cracked glass or loose putty. Fix leaky faucets.
8. Insulate your gas water heater, drain sediment from the bottom of the tank, and set the temperature to 120º.
9. Replace aging appliances with new high-efficiency equipment, if possible. A 93%-efficient furnace saves an average of $135 per year in fuel costs, compared to a conventional 78%-efficient model.
10. Ceiling fans, when the blades are reversed and draw warm air down to living spaces, can cut heating bills by as much as 10 percent a season.