The winter season can be a fun time of the year – holidays, snow ball fights, sledding, hot chocolate and egg nog – but this time of the year can also be very difficult financially.

Deb Andres, Geary County Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent, said that one of the main expenses that changes as the weather becomes colder is the cost of electricity. “For many people that goes up and part of the reason it goes up is because of the amount of energy it takes to heat our home, run our holiday lights, and do all of the food prep that we typically do indoors during the winter time.”

More specifically, heating your home can be a large expense – especially for low income families.

“The average low-income family spends about $482 a year on heating, but there’s some things you can do to help with those costs; turn down your thermostat, if you turn it down by five degrees, that will help you with your monthly bill considerably and also every degree you reduce your thermostat setting, you save about two percent on your monthly bill – so if you reduce the setting by five degrees you would save about $48 on the average $482 annual expense,” said Andres.

Andres adds that its important to keep up with regular maintenance on your heating systems. “It’s important that you have those checked, making sure the thermostat system is reading the temperature accurately and that the filter system is performing at its best – making sure that you have a clean filter put on.” Andres suggests hiring a professional to evaluate your heating system if you are not comfortable assessing it on your own.

Other winter survival tips from Deb Andres include:

• filters on heat systems need to be cleaned monthly to avoid caked on dirt and lint causing the heater to work harder
• check water levels on hot water or steam heat system (consult a professional if needed)
• keep area around furnace clutter free to improve air flow into furnace and reduce the risk of fire in the home
• check storm doors to make sure they are securely in place and if you have any leaks around the calking or edges of windows use weatherstripping or calking to ensure that leaks are stopped
• replace door bottoms or thresholds
• put draft guard around doors to help reduce cold draft; take an old pair of blue jeans, sew the ends shut after putting filler like dry beans or fabric inside – put this in doorway to keep air from seeping in
• plan ahead when traveling; let relatives know you are about to head on a road trip so they can check on you and know when to expect you