WINTER HEAT: It’s that time of year again, when we share fire safety tips for homeowners who are starting to turn on the heat in their houses.

We know you’ve heard these tips before, but they’re worth repeating. Spending a little time in preparation can save you a little money in fuel costs — or even prevent a tragedy.

Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania offered this advice for preparing your home for cold weather:

• Make sure your furnace is inspected and operating properly, and change or clean furnace filters to maximize airflow efficiency.

• Eliminate drafts with weather stripping and caulking around doors and windows.

• Do not store flammable materials near your natural gas furnace, water heater, or stove.

• Never use stoves, ovens, or outdoor grills as a source of indoor heat.

• Protect your water pipes in outside walls — run water, even at a trickle, to help prevent your pipes from freezing.

• Check your carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors to ensure they are operating according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

• Eliminate drafts with weather stripping and air sealing around doors and windows.

If you smell natural gas, don’t turn on any lights, cell phones, flashlights or appliances; don’t open windows or doors and don’t look for the leak yourself, Columbia Gas advised.

National Fuel forecasted earlier this month that this winter’s heating bills will be higher than the past couple years.

“The outlook for residential bills during the upcoming months of November through March — the winter heating season — is up from the past two winters that featured unseasonably warm temperatures and historically low natural gas commodity prices,” National Fuel stated in a release.

The company predicts customers will pay an average of 27 percent more this winter than last.