Do I have to heat my home?

My electric bill for the month of November was nearly 4 times what it was during the month of September.  That seems like an awful lot.  I hate forced air heaters.  It appears that I need to reprogram my thermostat to heat the house less, and either wrap up more or try to get a natural fire going in the fireplace downstairs (apparently the tenants before me tried that unsuccessfully, so with my limited household skills I'm more likely to burn the house down).