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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- It may not feel like it now, but winter weather is right around the corner.

You may be ready for the cold temperatures, but is your house?

Colorado Springs Utilities said now is a good time to start preparing your home for winter. Here are a few tips:

- Get a furnace "tune up." Keeping your furnace clean, lubricated and properly adjusted will reduce energy use, saving up to 5 percent of heating costs.

- Replace or install a clean furnace filter once a month. Dirty filters restrict airflow and increase energy demand.

- Check weather stripping on windows and doors. Use caulk to seal cracks around the frames.

- Switch ceiling fans to rotate in a clockwise direction. That will help move the warm air trapped at the ceiling in and around the home.

- Keep shades and curtains open during the day on the south side of your home to allow solar heating. Close them at night to retain heat.

- Ensure fireplace dampers are closed when not in use to prevent warm air from escaping through the chimney.

- Set your thermostat to 68 degrees or lower during the day. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that for every degree you turn down your thermostat for an eight-hour period in the winter, you can expect a correlating percentage of energy savings.

Colorado Springs Utilities offers a variety of rebates for efficency updates to homes. For more information, click here.