These hot tips will help keep you nice and cozy when it's cold outside:

Keep your thermostat at or close to 68 degrees. If you have a gas furnace and are going to be away from home more than six hours, turn your thermostat down to 65 degrees.

If you have a heat pump, it is generally recommended to set your thermostat at 68 degrees and forget it.

If 68 degrees is too uncomfortable, use small space heaters to supplement the rooms you use.

Ensure that all windows and doors are properly caulked and weather-stripped. (A 1/16th-inch gap around a window or door is the equivalent of a 6-inch hole in your wall.)

Check the insulation levels in your home. Your attic should have R-30, walls R-11 and floors R-19.

Consider covering single pane windows with storm windows or replace them with energy efficient double pane models.

Clean or replace filters on your heating system once a month or as needed.

Have your heating system checked at least once every two years by a qualified service technician. This is to ensure your safety, maintain peak efficiency and prolong the life of your system.

If you have a fireplace, close the damper while not in use. If you have glass doors, keep them closed while burning a fire.

Open fireplaces, particularly older models are very inefficient. They should be used sparingly if you have another source of heat. If you have a fireplace, close the damper while not in use. If you have glass doors, keep them closed while burning a fire.