Home Heating Season- Is it here yet?

The beginning of October is normally the time of year I consider turning on the heat at night to maintain a normal room temperature of 72. I figure if I can hold out at least until then, I can get a jumpstart on my home heating savings. The weather over the past couple weeks has been pleasantly suprising. Today Boston is reporting a high of 74 and tomorrow's forecast is expected to reach 80 before plummeting to the mid fifties for a high on Thursday. Natural gas reserves are supposedly much higher than expected currently and should be selling at a discount. Unfortunately, I am one of those who is stuck with electric heating for both my stove and my hot water. I'm curious to see what the preferred (economical) fuel will be for this winter.

Have you established a target date each season when you fire up the steel monster in the basement? If so, I'd like to hear from you. Please post your comment at the bottom of this post.