Record world oil prices are likely to hit home this winter, with consumers paying high prices to heat their homes.

Natural gas is expected to rise an average of 24 percent and fuel oil 36 percent, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association.

Now is the time to give your home a “check-up.”

The Comfort Institute offers seven tips to make your home an energy sipper instead of a gas guzzler.

1. Ask your heating, ventilation and air conditioning contractor to test your duct system for air leaks. Many people assume that windows and doors are the major cause of a home’s energy-wasting air leaks. But according to recent research by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), gaps, joints and disconnections in the typical home’s duct system are much more significant. The DOE finds that a typical duct system loses 25 to 40 percent of the energy put out by the central furnace or heat pump.

2. Ask your contractor to perform an Infiltrometer “blower door” test. The blower door is a computerized instrument originally invented by the DOE. It pinpoints where your home’s worst air leaks are, such as duct leaks, and also measures how leaky the overall house is. Most homes have the equivalent of an open window in combined air leaks.

3. Have your heating system cleaned and tuned. A pre-season tune-up is a great investment. It reduces the chances of breakdowns on cold winter nights, improves safety and more than pays for itself through more energy efficient operation.

4. Replace your furnace or heat pump air filter, or clean it if it is an electronic unit. Most systems need this done every month to ensure safe and efficient operation. Keep forgetting to do it? Ask your contractor for an extended surface area central air filter that only needs to be replaced once a year. It also does a far better job of keeping your equipment and the air in your home clean.

5. Close your fireplace damper. Did you remember to close it last time you used the fireplace? Shut it now or waste precious warm air all winter long.

6. Install a programmable set-back thermostat. Turning down the thermostat eight degrees for eight hours a day will save eight percent on home heating costs.

7. Consider replacing your old furnace or heat pump. Just like a car, heating and cooling equipment doesn’t last forever. Is your system more than 12 years old? Planning to stay in your home more than a few years? Many authorities recommend replacing it before it fails.