Home heating: Time for a check up

(NBCNC) - Even though the official start of the season is more than a month away, many parts of the country have already gotten a cold dose of winter.

Experts say that should encourage the rest of us to make sure now that heating systems are working properly.

SmartMoney.com's Kelli Grant says winterizing your home should start with an energy audit, often offered free by your local power company.

"It could just be as simple as going out and buying $20 to $30 worth of caulk and window sealing kits to be able to block off some of that," she says.

She also says to fully utilize things which add nothing to your heating bill.

"You want to take advantage of the sunlight. If you have rooms that are naturally very sunny, make sure that you're keeping the curtains open during the day so that they can get the sunlight, that's sort of built in heat," she advises.

You can lose a ton of heat, too, without proper insulation.

When heading out, adjust thermostats to keep from heating an empty household.

If you make energy efficient improvements to your home, don't forget to go to EnergySavers.gov to take advantage of tax rebates the government's offering until the end of the year.