Ensuring a warm, safe winter Debbie Schwartz uses a staple gun to attach stripping to hold down plastic sheeting on her greenhouse as she makes last-minute preparations for the winter season Monday, in Port Edwards. (AP Photo/Wisconsin Rapids Daily, Casey Lake) WPS predicts natural gas prices should stay low this winter By Michelle Kennedy News-Chronicle "Were you born in a barn?" Children all over Green Bay will be hearing this phrase soon as the weather cools down and front doors all over the city will be left open. Shut the door, and make sure there is a storm door and caulking around it if you want to save money and stay warm this winter, say Wisconsin Public Service representatives. WPS also recommends the following to help ensure a warm and safe winter: * Turn down that thermostat. Each degree cooler a home is kept can reduce the heating bill by 3 percent. And do what your father told you - put on a sweater. A sweater and extra socks can make you feel up to five degrees warmer. * Buy a programmable thermostat. These devices, available at most hardware and discount stores, turn down the heat automatically while you are asleep or if you are out of the house during the day. Setting them to heat up the house a half hour or less before you get home or wake up means that the house will be toasty when you're there. * Change your furnace filter and have it checked by a technician. Most filters should be changed every 30 days or so during the heating season. Inefficient burning can waste gas and produce deadly carbon monoxide. * Adjust register openings to keep different rooms at different temperatures. Heat rises, so it makes sense to partially close the registers on your top floor - especially if it is not well used during the day. * Check caulking and weather-stripping around windows and doors to make sure it's not cracked. Air leaks cause 15-30 percent of heat loss. A candle or incense can be used to locate drafts. * How you decorate can actually save money and energy. Dark room colors require more lamp light. Choose lighter colors for walls, ceilings, floors and furniture. * Rinse dishes before loading them in the dishwasher and only run full loads. Also - lower the temperature on your water heater. On average, 120 degrees is hot enough out of the tap and can save up to $5 per month. * When washing clothes, use the cold water setting. New cold water soaps get most fabrics clean in warm or cold water. * Avoid overdrying clothes, use a clothesline or drying rack for bulky sweaters and blankets and be sure to keep the lint filter clean. * Take a shower. The average person uses about half as much hot water in the shower as in the bath - saving at least five gallons. * Use your microwave instead of a gas oven as much as possible. Microwaves save energy and reduce the emissions you get from a gas oven. * Be careful using space heaters. Keep bedding and curtains a safe distance away and never leave them unattended. "People would be amazed by the amount of money they can save by just following a few simple guidelines and using common sense," Kerry Spees, a Wisconsin Public Service representative said. In addition, Spees said, customers won't see the big hikes in natural gas rates this year as they did last year. "The summer of 2000 was unusually hot, causing a lot of the gas to be used for cooling purposes," Spees said. "There was also not the production and exploration going on last year. We didn't have such a hot summer anywhere in the country this year and the production and exploration has really increased in response to last winter - so those prices should stay down." Spees also said that those struggling to pay for heat or weatherizing materials should contact Wisconsin Public Service at 1-800-450-7260.