Take steps now to winterize your home
Look for any places where you could get leakages.
Because a small crack can expand in the cold weather and become worse, McCormick suggests checking driveways, patios and sidewalk areas that can be sealed or repaired.
Ideally, McCormick says, they should be checked before the cold season starts and midway through it to make sure that they are operating at peak performance.
Having a programmable digital thermostat installed can also help homeowners save money on heating costs.
If cost is not an issue and you really want to address energy-efficiency problems in your home, Joe Miuccio, an instructor for the Center for Energy Efficiency and Building Sciences at Hudson Valley Community College, advocates contacting a Building-Performance-Institute-accredited contractor and getting a Comprehensive Home Assessment.
According to Miuccio, a complete home assessment will evaluate the entire home as a system and determine what areas need repair or improvement.
Depending on age, style, building techniques and code requirements when they were built, different homes have different problems, Miuccio says.