Energy loss
Nearly half of all the energy used in our homes is wasted. Heating and cooling inefficiencies are the major cause, and the prevention is, in many cases, simple and inexpensive. Here are some easy, do-it-yourself solutions for making your home more comfortable and less expensive to heat. You'll also be helping the environment.

Check for Drafts
The one home improvement which saves the most energy with the least investment is draftproofing.
A simple way to locate outside air coming into your home is with a stick of incense. (Some hardware stores sell "smoke pencils" for this purpose.) Light the incense and inspect your home, from the inside, for air leaks. Choose a breezy day, and go around windows, areas where plumbing and wiring go through walls, attic doors, entry doors and fireplace dampers. How much the smoke drifts horizontally from the incense will reveal how serious the leak is. Most leaks can be quickly plugged with exterior silicone caulk - be sure to caulk the leaks from the outside of the house, or moisture will build up inside the walls. Weatherstripping, door sweeps and and products such as the Attic Tent® will fix the drafts and door leaks quickly and easily.

Back to top

Under the Doors
The warm air in a heated home exerts a "pull" on outside colder air, drawing it in wherever it can. Under the door is the common site for cold air entry. Door sweeps are available at most hardware or home supply stores for $5 - $10. They can easily be installed without having to take the door off its hinges. Simply slide the sweep under the door and cut off excess length with a hacksaw. A few screws, provided with the sweep, hold it in place.

Back to top

Your Homes Drapes
Most heat loss in the average home is through and around the windows. Drawing the drapes at night is an effective block, making it harder for your warm air to escape. Lined drapes are best. Drapes will also help reduce window condensation because the space between the drapes and the window is cooler than the room air. Drapes can be lined with less expensive material or re-used bed sheets. The cost of the material is recouped by the savings in energy.

Back to top

A Heater Fan
These new heat-powered circulating fans are designed to set directly on top of woodstoves or gas room heaters. They send the heat out horizontally, instead of letting it rise upwards, which results in much faster and more efficient room heating.
Another feature of the heater fan is the operating cost - nothing! No batteries or electricity are required. The thermoelectric module runs by the heat of the stove. The fans are nearly silent, and designed to last a lifetime. One concern with these fans, however, is that they can 'burn out' if the diode is overheated. With wood heaters, care must be taken if there's a large, hot fire. Set the fan on a brick, or remove it temporarily from the heater surface until the fire settles down.
Although these fans cost from $40 to $60, the savings in energy costs, year after year, is greater. Available at home supply and hardware stores.

Back to top

A Ceiling Fan
Although ceiling fans are most often associated with home cooling, they can also help with home heating. Most of the heat generated by your heating systems rises to the ceiling where it slowly dissipates or radiates into the upper walls and ceiling. If you have ceiling fans in your home, check to see if they are reversible. In winter, the blades should rotate clockwise. This reverse rotation will collect warm air from the ceiling and pull it downwards. Set the fan at its slowest speed so as not to create a breeze. The energy savings will only be realized if you lower your thermostat correspondingly. For each degree you lower the thermostat, heating costs will be reduced by 3 - 5%.

Back to top

For more information and Energy Saving Facts visit the links below;

http://www.betterinsulation.com/
http://www.ornl.gov/
http://www.eere.energy.gov/
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/flex/