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The cold weather is back, which means higher heating costs for many of us. But there are simple ways to winterize your home and cut energy use. The U.S. Department of Energy’s website has helpful tips to adapt your house for the winter.

Here a few tips they share:

• Open curtains on the south-facing windows in the house to let natural sunlight warm your home
• Cover drafty windows with insulating drapes or shades
• Save 10% a year on heating bills by lowering the thermostat 10° F to 15° F degrees while you sleep.
• Seal all air leaks with caulk or weather-stripping around doors and windows
• Routinely check your heating system to maintain high efficiency
• Turn down your water heater to the warm setting (120° F)

Energy.gov also provides useful tips on how to clean and maintain fireplaces during the winter. For step-by-step information on winterizing your home visit http://www.energy.gov/energysaver/fall-and-winter-energy-saving-tips. You can also access this same link through www.energy.gov. Click on Home Weatherization under the Energy Saver tab.

Pennsylvania also provides home winterizing assistance to low-income families. There are two programs that families can apply for to help them stay warm this winter.

• LIHEAP (Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program) helps low-income families pay their heating bills. You can apply for LIHEAP online, on paper, or in person starting on November 2, 2015.

To apply online, visit Compass: https://www.compass.state.pa.us/Compass.Web/public/cmphome

You can download and print a paper application by visiting LIHEAP’s page here.

Apply in person at your local county assistance office. To find the closest office near you, visit PA’s Department of Human Services website.

•  Weatherization Assistance Program helps low-income families build safe, energy efficient homes to cut heating bill costs.

To check eligibility, you can visit PA’s Department of Community and Economic Development’s website.

You can apply for this assistance program by visiting your local weatherization agency. Click here to find your local agency.

The Reference department at the Scranton Public Library has computers for you to access all of these online resources. All you need is a library card. Want to find more ways to go green? Type “Go Green” in the search box at the top of the page to read more articles.