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Ameren customers in Illinois with heating and ventilation problems may be able to save on high energy bills ... if they don't mind being audited. 

Ameren is offering an Act on Energy Home Energy Performance program to its customers and over 6,000 of them have already taken advantage of it.  

The service provides an at home audit walk through with a trained energy advisor who conducts a visual inspection of your home ,and your heating and cooling equipment. The advisor provides thermal imaging of where heat is being lost in your house like your attic, basement or even crawl spaces.

A custom, on the spot report is given to you and suggested upgrades on how you can make your home better energy efficient are listed.

"The customer that would takes the steps on the report would see reduce energy usage and then lower monthly bills as well," said Carl Fisher, community relation coordinator for Ameren. "Through the winter months, summers months, year round depending on the improvements that they make," he said.

If you're unable to make large changes like purchasing a new furnace, that's no big deal. The advisor will still give you tips for quick ways to save on your energy bill.

"One simple thing a home owner could do and our energy advisor will probably will do on his visit would be to check for leaks or cracks in windows," said Fisher. "And the simple thing you do is put your hand up to the window and see if you can feel air flow. And inexpensive fix for that rather than having to replace your windows will be to simply get one of those plastic window kits for the winter, and that creates that barrier and reduces the air flow," he said.

The Act On Energy audit only takes about an hour and a half. If you're interested in having an advisor come to your house, call your local Ameren office and set up an appointment. You can also click here to check out the Act On Energy website.