SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The cost to heat your home is up substantially this winter.

Heating your home is typically going to be your largest energy expense and with colder temperatures coming later in the week, 22News spoke with experts on how you can lower your bill.

Even though we haven’t seen our typical New England winter with frigid temperatures, higher demand, and an energy price hike over the past year or so has made the price of heat and energy bills shoot up.

“We’re hearing from people every day that are starting to get the electric bills for both gas and oil. The heating bills this winter have been extraordinarily high again. We’ve been fortunate the winter has been milder than most but the heating bills are just knocking people’s socks off.” Peter Wingate Energy Director at Community Action Pioneer Valley

According to the National Grid of Massachusetts, in total, the monthly bill of a typical residential electric customer has increased from $179 last winter to approximately $293 for this winter season, or a 64 percent increase.

while your heating bill continues to be expensive experts say there may not be any relief in sight meaning that learning any tricks to save money on your energy bills could be crucial.

“Maybe doing something where you’re blocking the windows when the sun goes down or even putting a carpet on the floor or blocking and checking around your doors and making sure that you’re not letting out that heated air if you’re drawing in that cold air,” Priscilla Ress Senior Media Relations Specialist at Eversource Energy.

Some other tips better for the environment and to save on your energy bill include installing programmable thermostats, and setting them to lower the heat at night or when you’re away, installing LED lightbulbs, and resetting your hot water heater.

Both Wingate and Ress stressed that staying warm is paramount but if you are able to withstand a slightly chillier home, on a regular day you can save around one to three percent on your bill for each degree you lower your thermostat in your home.