NEW YORK - Heating costs are rising again this year, but there are steps families can take to save money and still keep warm.

"The trend for the last seven years in the price of fuel has been upward," said Katreri Callahan, president of the nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy in Washington, D.C. "So the less fuel you use , and the more efficiently you use it , the lower your bills."

Consumers don't necessarily have to invest huge sums of money winterizing their homes, she points out.

At no cost, for example, homeowners can take advantage of the heat from the sun by opening drapes and blinds during the day and closing them at night. Or, for a modest expense, they can make sure that filters on their furnaces are cleaned or changed at the start of the winter season, and every month until spring.

Invest the time to winterize now, and it will pay off almost immediately, Callahan said. Sealing leaks and increasing insulation in the attic and exterior walls alone can cut heating bills by 20 percent, she said.

Sharp increases this year in crude oil prices , which spiked above $90 earlier this month , have contributed to rising prices for heating oil, gas, propane and electricity.

The Energy Information Administration, the research and forecasting arm of the Department of Energy, said in its recent winter fuel outlook the average American household can expect to pay $977 for heating fuel this year, an increase of nearly 10 percent from last year's $889 heating bill.

Families who heat with natural gas will see costs rise 10 percent to $891, the EIA estimated. The increase for electricity will be 4 percent to $855, and for propane, 16 percent to $1,570, it said.

But the families who will take the biggest hit , mainly in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states , will be those who use heating oil, the EIA said. Their bills are projected to rise 22 percent to $1,785.

Some heating oil companies in the Northeast have reported a rush of consumers asking to lock in prices ahead of the season; other consumers have sought out collectives like PIRG Fuel Buyers, which negotiate bulk rates for fuel and discounts on service contracts.

Still other families are signing up with alternative suppliers, sometimes called third-party suppliers , in deregulated markets.

Jeffrey Mayer, president and chief executive of MXenergy in Stamford, Conn., said his company uses hedging strategies to lock in prices for customers using natural gas and electricity in 14 states.

So while utilities are forced to pass through costs, his company can offer contracts with set rates for up to three years.

"Ford Motor Co. and other industrial buyers have been able to do this for years," he said. "My thinking was the people like my father, who lives outside Philadelphia, should have the same kind of price protection."

In one New York market, the local utility is selling natural gas for $12.08 per 1,000 cubic feet; MXenergy's price on a 36-month contract is $11.87 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Mayer described it as similar to taking a fixed-rate mortgage instead of an adjustable-rate and argued that it's easier for consumers to budget for their fuel because they can avoid the price shock that can occur at the height of the season.

Even consumers who shop for better prices need to consider conservation measures so they don't waste what they buy.

Starting this week, there's a new tool to get them started.

Energy Star, a joint program of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy that promotes energy-efficient products and practices, is launching a Web-based Home Advisor that will allow consumers to get customized recommendations for improving home energy use.

Consumers who visit the site at http://www.energystar.gov/homeadvisor are asked for their zip code, the kind of heating fuel they use and the type of water heater they have. With the click of a button, they'll get tips such as caulk windows to eliminate air leaks, increase insulation in the attic, consider purchasing a high-efficiency water heat and shop for programmable thermostats.

Jonathan Passe, communications coordinator for EnergyStar residential programs, said the new site was designed to give consumers a place to come for ideas of how a typical home in their area would benefit from energy-efficient products.

"We'll tell you, for example, what recommended insulation levels would be," he said. "Or, if you're looking to replace windows, we'll tell you the best specifications for your area."

Many of the tips work whether it's hot or cold, Passe noted.

"Sealing air leaks and adding insulation are among the most cost-effective things people can do," he said. "It can lower your bills, whether you're heating in winter or running your air conditioner in the summer."