With U.S. heating bills expected to hit record highs this winter, the Bush administration on Monday launched a conservation campaign featuring a cartoon mascot “Energy Hog,” which critics said does little to discourage energy use.

Americans face higher heating bills due in part to crippled oil refineries, natural gas processing plants and producing platforms from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.

In the Midwest, the region most dependent on natural gas for heating, winter bills will jump by 71 percent from last year, according to the Energy Information Administration. Nationally, heating oil expenses will rise 34 percent and electricity bills 11 percent, the EIA recently forecast.

Energy Secretary Sam Bodman and the Alliance to Save Energy consumer group on Monday launched what was billed as a major campaign to encourage Americans to cut energy use this winter. It dusts off mostly old energy-conservation tips such as adding home insulation and turning down thermostats.

To help sell the plan, the White House created a cartoon mascot, the Energy Hog. The pig, who wears blue jeans and a leather biker jacket, will follow in the footsteps of Smokey Bear and McGruff the Crime Dog by appearing in ads.

Public service announcements sent to 4,500 radio stations say that consumers “have the power” to manage their energy bills and ease “the pinch of high energy prices.”

One radio commercial encourages consumers to install insulation in their homes and use a programmable thermostat to lower winter heating bills. Another focuses on automobile maintenance and driving tips, such as reducing driving speeds.

“This effort will provide consumers, industry and federal agencies with a variety of energy savings ideas, which if done properly, can yield significant savings,” Bodman said.

He refused to estimate how much energy could be saved.

President George W. Bush last week urged Americans to avoid nonessential car trips and promised to impose the same guideline for federal workers. ABC