Clark recently had his home tested for energy leaks so he could make it more energy efficient for the winter. It turned out there were numerous problems, including poor duct work and inadequate insulation. So, he and his wife had some work done and they haven’t had to turn on the heat once this winter. The home is much better insulated now and they will worry less about energy prices. It’s hard to get people to do these things because they can be a real pain. The good news is that natural gas prices have dropped a considerable amount over the past three weeks. It’s not back to where things were a year ago, but it’s much better. That drop is due in part to a much more mild winter in typically cold parts of the country. So, the demand has been lower and there is an ample supply. It means that bills may not be quite as high as we thought they were. People who decided to take a floating rate are sitting pretty. But we had no way of knowing that would happen. Clark is predicting that we’re facing three more touch-and-go winter seasons, so there is still an advantage to taking extra steps to winterize your home – no matter what happens.