Fuel and other energy costs continue to escalate and we may not be able to do anything about increasing fuel prices, but we can try to use less fuel by making our homes more energy efficient.

Here a a number of tips you should use to keep your home heating bills down.

Make sure you windows are properly insulated. Make sure they are well sealed and you feel no drafts coming in. You can get window insulation kits at a hardware or home improvement store.

Install ceiling fans. Heat rises, so keep the heat down in the room with a ceiling fan. They keep a room cooler in the summer when you use the reversible switch. Ceiling fans are relatively inexpensive and can save a lot in energy costs.

Close all of the doors in rooms that are not being used. Once everyone is out of the bedrooms, for example, close the doors so your furnace only has to send heat to the main part of the house.

Keep curtains and blinds drawn. You can keep them open during a sunny day to take advantage of the radiant heat and then trap it in at night to keep your home warmer by closing curtains and shades.

Install weather proofing on your doors, and put additional caulking on your windows. If you feel air coming in along the bottom of the doors, attach weather stripping. Putting caulk around the windows will stop small drafts from seeping in.

Make sure your doors are properly aligned. If your doors have shifted or sagged over time, they may be creating air spaces that will let the cold weather into your home. A snug fit will save fuel.

Get a furnace check up. Have an HVAC expert make sure your furnace is running at top efficiency. Besides the money saved on fuel, you will be happy to know that your family is safer with a clean, efficient furnace.

Change air filters. Keeping your air filters clear to make sure your heating system is giving you maximum efficiency. Clogged air filters can also be a fire hazard, so this is an important step to take. Close the vents. In the winter you want to keep cold air out, so make sure you close the circulation vents in your home once the cold weather arrives.

Make sure your attic is sufficiently insulated. Since heat rises, you want to make sure the attic is not sucking up all of your heat, but rather that the insulation is holding it and pushing it back into the home.

Just these few tips will make a difference in your home heating bills. You can learn about more tips if you go online or talk to your energy provider. Many of them provide books with fuel conservation tips, or will even do an energy audit of your home.