For most of us at the moment, money is tight all the way around and saving money, in any way that you can, is a priority. One good way to do this is to find ways to help save on your winter heating bills, by looking at things like the insulation you currently have in your home, and reviewing other ways to keep in the heat and therefore save energy.

Believe it or not, there are many simple things that you can do to help save you hundreds of dollars during the winter.

The first thing you should do is look at your windows. If you do not have double pane, or double glazed windows you really should look into installing those, the reduction of noise and of heat loss aside, there are money savings to be made with double glazing. The savings that you can realise can pay for the cost of double glazed windows in just 2 or 3 years. The more windows that you have in your home, the more chances there are for the heat in your home to escape which in turn makes your boiler run longer, costing you more money and wear and tear. At the very least you should seal off the edges check where the glass meets the frame to see if you can draught proof quickly and easily. Any improvement can save you energy.

It's not just the windows; your doors should be as air tight as possible as well. Check the weather-stripping around your door frames to make sure it is still in place and holding, or if you can make any improvement. Doors can warp with the changing of the seasons, so remember to check that yours still has a snug fit when closed. Draught proofing is an easy DIY solution if you have any gaps.

If it has been awhile since you've been up in the loft of your home to check things out, now might be a good time to do so. Double check to make sure that there isn't a need to buy home insulation, and that what you have is at least an R-11 value. The biggest determining factors here are the size of your home and the materials that your home has been made from - these will affect the R value of insulation that you should put up there. It is usually R-13 that is in your loft and R-12 in your walls.

Efficient systems are also key. A boiler that isn't working smoothly will be using more energy and will cost you more money to its basic job. Always have a yearly maintenance check on your air heating and water heating systems before the cold weather sets in to make sure they are working properly. Insufficient heating systems in your home could really cost you.