I've been hearing a lot about home heating prices going up this winter--the worst I heard was this past Saturday, when I listened to a local talk show about finances. The host suggested that whatever your usual winter natural gas bill was, add $400--a month!

What I heard on the news yesterday, however, was very reassuring. While across the river in Philly, the gas company is asking for a 20% increase (over another increase they just got), over here our gas company thinks it is well set for the winter. They have enough lower-priced gas on hand or under contract to get through the winter on the relatively small increase they got in August--provided it's an average winter. If it's extremely cold, it would probably spike up. But that probably wouldn't happen til late in the winter, after they've seen what the weather's been like. I feel like we've dodged a bullet.

But before I heard that news, I already spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to conserve, keep the bill down and still be relatively comfortable. There were things we tried when we first bought the house that I decided I'm just not going to try again, no matter where natural gas prices go:

Plastic on the windows that you tighten up by blowing the hairdryer on it. (You can't open the windows all winter, and the cat tries to shred it.)

Rope caulk around window cracks. (Unless you paint over it, it's unsightly. And when some came loose, the dog tried to eat it. It's nontoxic, but not easy to clean off a dog's teeth. Think gray chewing gum.)

Insulated draperies. (Made the house feel heavy, closed in and depressing.)

Treated film that goes directly on the window glass, that's supposed to keep energy in or out in winter and summer. A temporary substitute for getting new windows with low-e glass. (Again, made the house dark and takes away the pleasure of looking out into the yard.)

Also, I've seen a lot of new products that are supposed to save energy, like portable solar heating panels that go on your windows with suction cups. But based on my past experiences, I have my doubts as to whether they'd actually do much, or be so much of a hassle we don't continue using them.

I mean, what would really make a difference would be a new water heater, new front door, new windows, and more insulation in our walls if we were putting up new drywall. Spending more money on energy saving gadgets just means less money to put toward the big stuff that will really have an effect. It's always worth trying to conserve, but I don't want to waste my time and effort, either.

So here's my plan for this winter:

Get a maintenance check-up/tune-up for the heater
Make a couple of draft-dodger things for the bottoms of our doors
Make or buy some sort of inside cover for the window a/c upstairs
Keep the thermostat low (so, dress warmly and get 1 or 2 space heaters to use in rooms we're actually using)
Remember to open window blinds and shades on sunny days, and close them at night