Ways to save on heat this winter

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (WWLP) - With temperatures dipping down into the 30's Monday morning, many of us had the itch to flip the switch and turn on the heat.  

22News is working for you with things you can do now to save money this winter.  

"I do own my own home and it's hard", says Chicopee's Linda Cicia.

44 percent of people in Massachusetts use natural gas to heat their homes, 39 percent use fuel oil, that's 30 percent above the national average, according to the United States Energy Information Administration.

"We use oil heat and it's always a concern.  We never have enough money to fill the oil tank.  We also have a fireplace, but you can't really keep your whole house warm with your fireplace", says Ludlow's Marcel Newlands.

Whatever heating system you use, if you spend some time checking your windows for leaks or checking your insulation, you're going to save yourself some money this winter.

"It's time to seal everything up and we just bought a new backdoor we knew we had some air leaks and take care of those things", says Newlands.

"I think number one is don't panic.  The other thing is make sure your heating system is brought up to par, have it cleaned, have it checked out by a professional and you'll get through the winter just fine", says Stephan Chase, Owner of Fuel Services Inc. in South Hadley.

Chase told 22News in the past few years people haven't made out by pre-buying their oil because the price has dropped or has been steady during the winter.

"The best thing you can do is put yourself on a budget so you're budgeted evenly and during the course of the year you get the high price or the low price", says Chase.


For information on the current heating oil prices you can log onto newenglandoil.com and for tips on how you can save money by the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs you can click here .