Denver (CBS4)-Winter is here. Therefore, the price for keeping your home warm in this season is higher.

Xcel Energy expects natural gas prices to rise throughout the winter because production cannot keep up with demand during the pandemic.

"If our customers use the exact same amount as last year, they should increase by $28 per month throughout the season," Hollie Velasquez Horvath, vice president of state for Xcel, told CBS4.

Horvath explained that Xcel's customers pay an average of about US$90 in utility bills. However, this will not happen this winter.

“We expect that our customers’ utility bills will increase even more in winter unless they make some adjustments and change a little bit of habits,” she said.

This is where the home energy group can step in. This is a program provided by Xcel Energy in which a group of technicians will visit customers' homes to conduct energy audits. They are looking for ways to make homes more energy-efficient to save customers money, such as adjusting appliances that may use a lot of now expensive natural gas.

“The first thing we looked for in the house was to look at the water heater,” said site supervisor Luke Snyder. "If you set it too high, it will run all day even if no one is using it. So, if you turn it off, it will only start a few times a day, which is efficient and fuel-efficient."

Snyder has been conducting household energy audits for seven years. He said he often finds that houses do not have ideal insulation materials, and some houses can be upgraded with furnaces.

"Upgrading the stove will reduce the amount of natural gas used in the house," he explained. "If it runs at 98% efficiency, then the easiest way to think about it is that every dollar you spend on heating only 2 cents is wasted. So, if you have 80% efficiency, then you spend it on it Twenty cents out of every dollar of US goes into the flue, not to generate heat."

Of course, replacing the stove is not cheap. Therefore, people can save money in other ways.

"The other thing you want to inspect the house is the weather strip," he said, pointing to some near the door. "Anywhere it is compressed, or not tightly sealed, you will see light passing through, so air will pass through."

As part of the 2-hour visit, the home energy team will check for any air leaks around doors and windows. Some technicians use infrared cameras to view locations where heat can easily dissipate, and in some cases replace defective weather strips.

Perhaps one of the easiest saving steps is to "discard the old and welcome the new" method. For example, update old shower heads that use more gallons per minute.

"Older shower heads are about two gallons per minute," Snyder explained, showing where people can find flow numbers on the shower head. "This will cause the water heaters to run when they are not needed, so upgrading them can save a lot of heating costs for the water heaters."

Snyder said the home energy team will install shower heads that use 1.5 gallons per minute. It will reduce water consumption, but it will not reduce water pressure.

Another simple solution: switch the switch to the LED bulb. Snyder said the home energy team will replace every incandescent bulb in a person's home with an LED, which can save a few dollars.

"Each incandescent bulb is replaced with an LED bulb, and each bulb saves about $5 a year," he said.

So, as the temperature drops, it's time to turn the heating up. Xcel Energy wants to ensure that everyone can do this without going bankrupt.

"Now is the time to really think about how to preserve and preserve," Horvath said.

If you want Home Energy Squad to visit your home, you need to pay. However, the $50 includes replacement bulbs, weather strips, and even a new programmable thermostat. Some homeowners may be eligible for free help from Squad.