By Cristin Ross

cross@jacksonvilleprogress.com

With temperatures starting to drop along with the stock market, some Cherokee County residents are concerned about their rising heating costs.

“I’m concerned, with everything going up,” Jacksonville mom Amanda Husbands said. “When it comes right down to it, I’d have to cut down on Christmas for my kids, if it (heating bill) gets too high. That stinks, but that’s what I’d have to do.”

Energy officials said despite dropping recently, natural gas prices remain volatile, and current indications are natural gas bills will likely be higher this winter than last, depending on weather and market conditions.

“The costs for all forms of energy have risen this past year,” Robert W. Best, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Atmos Energy Corp. said in a release published on the company’s Web site. “Although wholesale prices for oil and natural gas have come down dramatically in recent weeks, their costs set new records earlier this summer.”

The good news is there are steps residents can take now to increase a household’s energy efficiency and lower heating and cooling bills in the immediate future and for the long term, including these tips, found at the Web site www.moneymatters101.com:

• Set thermostats as low as is comfortable in the winter and as high as is comfortable in the summer.

• Clean or replace filters on furnaces once a month or as needed.

• Clean warm-air registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators as needed.

• Make sure warm-air registers are not blocked by furniture, carpeting, or drapes.

• Bleed trapped air from hot-water radiators once or twice a season. If you do not know how to bleed trapped air from hot-water radiators, please call a professional.

• Place heat-resistant radiator reflectors between exterior walls and the radiators.

• Turn off kitchen, bath, and other exhaust fans within 20 minutes after cooking or bathing;

• During the heating season, keep the draperies and shades on southfacing windows open during the day to allow the sunlight to enter the home and closed at night to reduce the chill from cold windows.

• During the cooling season, keep the window coverings closed during the day to prevent solar gain.

Long-term savings tips, provided by CenterPoint Energy, include:

• When replacing exhaust fans, consider installing high-efficiency, low-noise models.

• Select energy-efficient products when buying new heating and cooling equipment. A contractor should be able to share energy fact sheets for different types, models, and designs to help compare energy usage. For furnaces, look for high Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) ratings. The national minimum is 78 percent AFUE, but there are ENERGY STAR models on the market that exceed 90 percent AFUE.

• Seal leaks around doors, windows, attic spaces and other openings such as pipes or ducts, with caulk or weather-stripping. The most common places where air escapes in homes are floors, walls and ceilings, ducts, fireplaces, plumbing penetrations, doors, windows, fans and vents, and electrical outlets.

• Set the water heater temperature at 120 degrees and wrap water heater pipes. Lowering the temperature to 120 degrees from 140 degrees and insulating pipes can save up to 10 percent on water heating costs.

• Schedule an annual tune-up by a professional to ensure that the heating system and other gas appliances are operating safely and efficiently, and to avoid costly and inconvenient repairs.

It’s the long-term savings that Texans should be most aware of since according to recent reports released by the Texas State Comptroller’s office, Texans pay on average 45 percent higher annual electricity bills than neighboring states and 56 percent higher than the national average. Per capita, the state’s residential energy consumption the highest in the nation, due to air conditioning demand and greater use of electricity for home heating than in other states.

“Access to reliable, affordable energy is critical to serve Texas’ growing population and to ensure continued economic growth,” Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said. “Texas leads the nation in energy production, and we can lead the nation in maximizing that potential through energy efficiency.”

According to Combs’s office, Texas A&M; University is developing an online ratings tool for consumers who want to gain greater control over soaring utility bills and those who are in the market for a new home.

“As energy costs increase, and as concerns for national energy security and the environment heighten, consumer awareness is changing,” Combs said. “With relevant, accurate information, the power to save energy is in the hands of the consumer.

“And if consumers want energy efficient homes, the marketplace will respond.”

The tool will generate an accurate energy efficiency rating for any home when the consumer enters key information about the home’s energy usage, heating and cooling systems and other features. The online tool will show consumers whether their home or other dwellings are as energy efficient as they could be.

When the new system is available in spring 2009, Texans will be able to access it on the Comptroller’s State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) Web site at www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us.