$320 or $340 it was outrageous. >> reporter: shannon and her husband john are doing what they can to cut costs on their electric bill like installing a new window to keep the cold air out, along with a more energy efficient hot water heater. >> in the wintertime we have plastic over or insulated all of our windows on the first floor. we have also had to buy a new refrigerator so we tried to go with the most energy efficient. and we also tried the weather stripping. >> reporter: according to the energy information administration, heating your home this winter is going to cost more. thanks to higher fuel prices, combined with a season forecast to be colder than last year those with electric heat like shannon will see a 4% to 15% increase use natural gas to heat up, be prepared for a 30% spike. and for heating oil, you could see a 43% increase but what can you do to avoid the financial deep freeze? >> we recommend checking your home for air leaks, upgrading to a programmable or smart thermostat