Unseasonably mild weather in the Natchez area presents a good opportunity to check houses for energy efficiency. Where to start? Try the windows.

&uot;That’s where you’ll find most of the leaks,&uot; said Tony DeAngelis, whose company specializes in historic restoration as well as other building and remodeling work.

In many of the historic houses, storm windows are taboo, DeAngelis said. Where they are allowed, they help. &uot;You do want to stop the wind.&uot;

The warm weather now visiting the area is likely to stay for the near future, said John Gagan, a forecaster for the U.S. Weather Service in Jackson.

&uot;Right now we’re in an anomalous pattern with very warm air widespread across the area,&uot; Gagan said. &uot;The lows of 50s now should be 30s. Š For the next week or 10 days, we will have nothing winter like. In fact, this weather is very spring like.&uot;

That does not mean typical winter weather might not come later in the month or in the rest of the normal winter season. A weak el nino is the big influence on the weather now, Gagan said. And the weak el nino makes forecasting more difficult.

&uot;We were very cold right before and at Christmas, typical of what the el nino would produce,&uot; he said. &uot;Right now, the West and upper Midwest are having typical winter weather.&uot;

Frigid weather prevails in the North now, &uot;but the cold air has been locked in Canada and there has been no delivery mechanism to bring it down.&uot;

Gagan said home and business owners should check space heaters to be sure they are working properly. &uot;Cold air usually is dry air, making static electricity more likely. It can cause sparks which start fires.&uot;

Jerry Moore, operations manager for Mississippi Valley Gas in Natchez, said customers have been fortunate with the milder temperatures but may still have seen increased costs for winter heating because of higher pipeline gas, which the company buys to supply its customers.

&uot;Our rates stay the same,&uot; Moore said. &uot;The pipeline gas was higher in November and December. But the January pipeline gas adjustment has gone down.&uot;

Customers may enroll at any time in the company’s budget billing, a plan that prorates the year’s gas consumption on a monthly basis. Summer bills may be higher, but bills in the usually higher winter months should be lower on the plan.

&uot;To sign up for the plan, you have to be paid up current and every month you have to pay on the due date or you’ll be dropped off the plan,&uot; Moore said.

Like others consulted on ways to preserve energy, Moore suggested checking the windows in a house or building. He had other suggestions.

&uot;Keep the filters changed in your furnace, keep the thermostat at 68 degrees and wear a sweater if you are cold,&uot; he said. &uot;Conserve as much as you can.&uot;

Beware of space heaters that do not have the modern oxygen depletion unit. Older heaters can be dangerous.

DeAngelis said keeping fireplace dampers closed can help. &uot;And you should check the efficiency of your heating and cooling equipment.&uot;