Put on a sweater, you're making me cold.

The U.S. government says the average household spends over $2,200 per year in energy costs, with almost half of that going toward heating and cooling. There's not a lot you can do about cold weather if you live in the Upper Midwest, but there are a lot of things you can do to take the edge off winter heating bills.

1. Because I am my mother's daughter, I keep the thermostat at 58 degrees overnight and when we aren't home, and bump it back up to 65 or so when we are home. That's just the how it was done when I was growing up, and I continued the tradition without considering not everyone else does. In fact, some people tell me it's nuts. But our natural gas utility validates dialing down to save on energy costs, even advocating 55 degrees if you plan to be gone for several days. Minnesota's Office of Energy Security explains that for every 1 degree you adjust the thermostat down, you can save 2% of your fuel bill.
2. In The New York Times one energy industry player estimated that 80% of Americans who have programmable thermostats simply do not bother to program them because it's difficult. The Energy Star program says you can save up to $180 per year by properly programming your thermostat, and points you in the right direction on its website. Set it and forget it!
3. Let the sun shine in:  Maximize the winter sunlight and boost your indoor heat by keeping curtains or blinds open during daylight hours, then keep the heat indoors by keeping the windows covered when it's night. South-facing windows will get the best solar exposure and help brighten the house as well as warm it.

 
I think we may already be at the threshold for keeping the thermostat low in our house, but how low can you go? Who's with me at 58?