I spent $50 on a chimney balloon to stop heat and A/C loss through the fireplace. It took about 5 minutes to put it in.

I also spent $10 on a roll of aluminum tape to tape the seams closed on the HVAC vents in my basement. It took about 3 hours to clena and tape the vents. My basement is unfinished so they were easy to get to.

We havent started using the A/C yet but I expect these to pay for themselves quickly.

Terry B | May 24. 2010 14:01

Turn the A/C or heat OFF when no one is at home. Why does the house need to be comfortable when no one is at home???

DonnaT | May 24. 2010 14:02

Turning off the lights when not needed is one great energy saving tip. If your not using it, kill the switch.

mike

gate valves | May 24. 2010 14:02

Cooling your house off after the A/C has been off all day will cost you more than what it would have if you would have just turned down the A/C.
SC

SCampbell | May 24. 2010 14:03

SCampbell,
Thanks for your comment. This is a common misconception. Please check out the Energy Savers page on using your thermostat efficiently (www.energysavers.gov/.../mytopic=12720) for more information.


Allison Casey | May 24. 2010 14:04

We have made the following improvements to save energy:

Programmable thermostats - We set the thermos to cool off/warm up in the evening but stay at a warmer or cooler temp during the day when we aren't upstairs or at home.

Ceiling fans in almost every room.

Solar roof fan that comes on when the sun hits it and goes off at night. Big savings in the summer in the south.

Deciduous trees in front of our West facing house.

Cellular shades on east and west facing windows to block the heat in the summer and keep out the cold in the winter.

Next up is replacing the 10+y/o HVAC system....

CHumm | May 24. 2010 14:04

Actually you may want to re-read the energy savers page. That is only potentially true with non-traditional systems (heat pump, baseboard, etc.) A copy of the paragraph is below. Read it carefully.

"A common misconception associated with thermostats is that a furnace works harder than normal to warm the space back to a comfortable temperature after the thermostat has been set back, resulting in little or no savings. This misconception has been dispelled by years of research and numerous studies. The fuel required to reheat a building to a comfortable temperature is roughly equal to the fuel saved as the building drops to the lower temperature. You save fuel between the time that the temperature stabilizes at the lower level and the next time heat is needed. So, the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save."

MSeibert | May 24. 2010 14:04

Changing your furnace filters
regularly can make a huge impact on your utility bill. A dirty filter can cause the furnace blower to work a lot harder which in turn uses more energy. Also if you let it get to dirty in the winter it could cause your heat exchanger to crack and cause a leak of carbon monoxide or worse an explosion. Also in the summer if you have a dirty filter it can cause the evaporator coil to freeze up.

ryan | May 24. 2010 14:05

superb thoughts on changing filters benefits. i am completely impressed by your views. it should be cared by people  same in home ac filters replacement. due to health purpose  it is beneficial. http://www.airsponge.com



tilak ahuja | October 22. 2010 13:54