News 12 This Morning at 6 o'clock, Tuesday, January 18, 2011

AIKEN, S.C. --- A cold January with snow and frigid temperatures will leave many with high heating bills. The cheapest thing you can do right now is walk over to your thermostat and turn it down.

Fred Runyon and his kids are relaxing this winter, inside their house, where the heat stays at one temperature and keeps the house warm all day. It wasn't always like this for Fred.

"Well, my house was cold before," he said. "My electric bill sometimes was $360 a month in winter."

That changed in 2009. Fred's house got a makeover to be more energy efficient after the Runyons won the Help My House contest.

"They put insulation in the attic. They put insulation underneath the house. Put a new hot water heater in," Fred explained.

So far his highest energy bill has been $139. Bill Inman at the Aiken Electric Cooperative says Fred's energy expenses dropped 16% over the year since the changes were made.

"Everyone needs to be prepared. It has been significantly colder. Bills are going to be higher," said Inman.

Inman says the average electric bill for a family is around $150, but with colder days and freezing temperatures, that number has bumped up to $250.

To keep your heating bill from burning a hole in your pocketbook, keep your thermostat at around 68 degrees. "That will save you more money than anything else you can do," Inman said.

If you can go lower, even better, Inman says: "Every degree below 68 degrees will save you 3% on your bill."

Fred keeps his curtains open during the day to let sunlight in and makes sure he doesn't have any cracks letting cold air in or heat out.
"I can tell it actually holds the heat in now," he said. "I'm doing real good on my electric bill. In the winter time I'm saving over $200 a month."

Your water heater can also save you money. Inman recommends turning the temperature down to 120 degrees, even as low as 115 degrees if there are only two people in the home.