Virtually every bill payer in Central Oregon already knows energy prices are going up this winter. We’ve been feeling the pinch at gas pumps for several months; now home heating, cooking and the like are costing more than they did a year ago. And while there’s no quick way to bring those costs down, there are things individuals can do to lessen the impact of high fuel costs.

Among the most important, owners of not-so-new homes can obtain an energy audit through a variety of sources.

The Oregon Energy Trust offers an online audit at www.energytrust.org, as does the Home Energy Saver, a joint effort of several government agencies that operates out of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. Its Web address is http://hes.lbl.gov.

Both offer easy-to-complete energy audits that can be conducted from your own computer on your own time frame.

Once an audit is complete, you may decide it’s time to buy a new water heater or clothes washer.

The state of Oregon gives tax credits for those who upgrade to more energy-efficient appliances, while the Energy Trust offers incentives on selected appliances from time to time.

Most utilities, including electric cooperatives that supply power to rural neighborhoods, offer a wide variety of energy-saving tips on their Web sites, as well. Homeowners and renters alike will find things they can do that will not disrupt their lives but cut down on power bills at least a bit. Tips range from the obvious – turn the thermostat down to 68 if you haven’t done so already and keep it lower at night – to the less so – pulling the drapes helps insulate the windows, keeping warm air inside the house.

Finally, assistance to those least able to afford high energy costs is available through the Oregon HEAT (Home Energy Assistance Team) program at www.oregonheat.org. The program is a joint effort of social service agencies, Pacific Power & Light and Portland General Electric. Customers are asked to donate to the program and those donations are matched by the power companies themselves. Money thus raised goes to provide assistance in the region from which it came, meaning that Central Oregon PP&L customers can be assured that their donations will help those in need in Central Oregon.

Higher heating costs are a fact of life every winter, but that’s especially true this year. With care, however, homeowners and renters can help keep their heating bills down, surely a good thing on a cold winter’s day.