Yeah, who doesn't like to be warm and toasty; but that comes at a cost. By simply lowering your thermostat by 5 degrees you'll see measurable savings on your utility bill. Step up your savings with a programmable thermostat ($50 or less at Home Depot) and you can program it to turn down the heat at times you know you won't be home (during the workday) or during the night hours while you're under a warm comforter.

Want to really save money-- then make the investment in a NEST thermostat (2nd generation or better). You can easily find one for less than $200 dollars on eBay. That may sound steep but it will open up a world of automation that will create enough savings to pay for itself in a year to 18 months. If you trim even $10 per month off your current bill then in a year and a half it's paid for and then you're saving for years to come.

Since it will become integrated into your home wifi network you'll be able to control your heating system from anywhere over the internet. By using the automation website IFTTT you can create simple formulas called "recipes" to become rather sophisticated with the control you can achieve. I created recipes that control my heating system when the temperature outside exceeds a certain temperature or drops below another. By shutting off my heat as soon as the Weather channel shows the outside temperature in my neighborhood exceeds 62 degrees I can achieve better cost-saving efficiencies than controlling it merely based on the interior ambient temperature.

The future has arrived.