The return of winter weather marks the return of many things, including winter coats, mornings spent shoveling snow and, for many homeowners, higher utility bills.

Home heating costs have a long history of being the enemy of homeowners who want to keep their homes warm in the winter. Over the course of a typical winter, homeowners can expect to spend as much as $2,000 to keep their families warm, and unfortunately, there’s no guarantee those costs won’t increase this winter. Fortunately, there are several ways homeowners can easily reduce home heating costs no matter how harsh the weather becomes this winter.

• Address those leaks before it’s too late. Fall is an ideal time to get around to all those pesky home improvements you didn’t have a chance to get to this summer. If not addressed, leaky windows and doorways are destined to produce high home heating bills. Cold air that enters the home through such leaks, creates drafts that is costly as the homeowner turns up the thermostat to get rid of the chill. Before winter arrives, seal any existing drafts around windows and doors, using caulk or weather-proof tape. More information about discovering and fixing air leaks is available at www.greenwoodusa.com/leak.

• Replace old appliances. Older appliances might not work as efficiently as they once did, requiring more energy and fuel to get the job done; causing a spike in utility costs along the way. However, today’s Energy Star appliances are required to have a high performance with up to 15 percent greater energy efficiency than their predecessors, significantly reducing your home energy costs.

• Consider renewable energy heating appliances. Today’s solar and biomass/wood heating appliances are a far cry from those available as recently as three years ago. These products may offer automated operation with wood pellets or other convenient features like self-cleaning. Products like the Greenwood Frontier Series Wood Gasification Boiler are specifically designed with families in mind to improve heat efficiency to save homeowners money.

Helping homeowners trim more than 70 percent from their home heating costs, the Greenwood Frontier Series boiler converts up to 89 percent of the energy in wood fuel to warm, usable heat throughout the home. In fact, the on-board computer continuously monitors boiler performance while employing a predictive control to ensure consistent and reliable boiler operation, helping homeowners rest easy that their boiler is working smarter to save them money all winter long.

“I could be completely off of gas or oil if I want to be” says homeowner Ken D. from Michigan. “I could be totally wood sufficient. I decreased my heating bill from $500/month to $30/month.”

• Take advantage of rebates and tax credits. Keep your eyes open, as there are many state, federal and utility company programs and tax incentives which offer homeowners incentives to install a programmable thermostat, a renewable heating appliance or to upgrade an existing appliance.

More information is available at www.GreenwoodUSA.com.