You probably know that turning down the thermostat will save energy and money. But do you know exactly what that adjustment could mean in actual dollars? Turning the temperature down just one degree can reduce your heating bill by 2 percent to 3 percent. Turning the thermostat down from 72 to 68 can reduce your heating bill by up to 12 percent. And lower temperatures don't have to be uncomfortable. December is not the time to tool around the house in lightweight cotton pajamas or a T-shirt. We don't suggest that you subject small children or older folks to the cold, but if you are in good health, you can save more than $100 a year with a thermostat flick of the wrist.

An even more significant amount of savings can be achieved by turning your furnace down or off at bedtime and when you leave home. Once you get into a regular routine, you can count on saving as much as 25 percent on your heating bill. If you don't choose to make the adjustments yourself, you can install a set-back or clock-controlled thermostat that will turn the furnace off (or down) automatically. There are digital models that can turn your furnace on and off, up and down, several times each day. The more features that these units have, the more expensive they are to purchase and the more complicated they are to use.

Changing your furnace filter will cost $3 or $4, but can reduce your heating bill between 1 percent and 4 percent. A clogged filter can reduce air flow and thus the efficiency of the furnace. Changing your filter is not a major contributor to energy savings, but the savings are sufficient to pay for the filter, and the filter change results in increased furnace life.

Another way to reduce heating costs is to seal leaks in ducting. Such leaks can contribute to lost energy as much as 40 percent. Duct tape is sometimes all that is needed to seal a joint in a duct. Eventually, the tape will dry out and become brittle, and a leak can result. Finding these leaks can take time, especially since most ducting is surrounded by insulation. Remember, it doesn't make sense to waste energy in an attic or basement that is used for nothing but luggage storage. Because so much money often can be saved by repairing a broken duct, it might be prudent to have a heating specialist survey your ducting system.

Turning down the water heater and covering it with a blanket can reduce your utility bill by up to 10-percent. Most older water heaters were preset to 140 degrees. Yet you can still be scalded by water at 120 degrees. If reducing the water temperature to 120 degrees proves to be an inconvenience, you can always turn it back up again. If the thermostat on your water heater isn't marked in degrees, check the owner's manual for instructions. If no manual exists, run hot water on a cooking thermometer to find out what the current setting is. Make the same test the day after lowering the setting. A 2.5 gallon shower head will reduce water consumption by more than 50 percent in many instances. To find out how much water your current shower head is using, fill a bucket for 30 seconds. Twice the amount of water that is in the bucket equals how many gallons per minute your shower head is using. The savings here are 10 percent or more. Another energy saver is the fluorescent light bulb. Replacing an incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent can save $20 to $40 over the life of the bulb. Compact fluorescent bulbs are not always as attractive as their incandescent counterparts, but for bulbs that are on a great deal of the time, it might be wise to investigate the cost of changing a fixture (or a lamp shade) to conceal them. Some utility companies sell compact fluorescent bulbs at below-market value just to get you to try them.

Last, but certainly not least, is infiltration control. This involves the management of air that passes through cracks, crevices and gaps in walls, ceilings and floors. Infiltration occurs at walls where telephone and electric receptacles penetrate the surface, where plumbing pipes, flues, heat registers and wires travel between the house and the attic or basement and between the frames of windows and doors where they join the frame of the house. Infiltration control can be effected with inexpensive gasketing.