Amodt, whose trailer is 12 feet wide and 600 square feet, had a $95 heating bill in December, $127 in January, $103 in February and $88 in March. This winter she has tried to keep costs down by showering every other day, cooking less and keeping her thermometer set at 65.

The advantages of good insulation are clear by comparing Amodt's bill with the Engebretsens'; the Engebretsens' bill is three to four times larger than Amodt's for a house that is 13 times the size.

The Engebretsens, who live in an 8,000-square-foot house in Provo, also turn their heat off at night and urge their children to wear sweaters. The family had a December bill of $297, a January bill of $441, $363 in February and $314 in March. That month they had house guests from North Carolina who found the Engebretsen house a bit on the chilly side. "Unfortunately they didn't tell us till it was time to leave," says Jim.

The Engebretsens don't like their gas bills but can at least put them in perspective: They moved to Utah from Philadelphia, where their 110-year-old house cost $1,000 a month to heat in the coldest months.

Paige Bigelow and Michael Jones' latest bill for their 3,000-square-foot Tudor home in Sugar House was $197, down from $260 the previous month, $269 in January and a whopping $469 in December (when the house was still being remodeled, with doors left open for long stretches at a time).

The bills are higher than Bigelow and Jones had hoped to pay after installing solar panels that heat the home's potable water (this typically accounts for about 25 percent of a home's fuel consumption), and a radiant floor heating system (which typically reduces energy costs by about 40 percent compared to forced-air heating).

But Bigelow and Jones keep their thermostat at a constant 70 degrees. With radiant heat it doesn't make sense to turn down the thermostat at night, since it takes much longer to lower and raise the temperature. As a result, unlike many Utahns this winter who have stoically turned down their thermostats to make a bit of a dent in their bills, Bigelow and Jones and their children have been toasty all winter.

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E-mail: jarvik@desnews.com