The cost to heat your home is expected to increase again this winter, but just how high will prices rise, and what can you do to help lower your bills? 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS spoke to Shawn Cocherell, a service tech with Snelling Heating, Cooling and Electrical. He recommends having yearly maintenance done on your furnace, changing your filters, and not lowering your thermostat too far. I wouldn’t go much more than that because that’s making your furnace work harder,” Cocherell said. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association expects heating bills this winter to jump an average of 7%.