Winterize Your Home

Don’t let old man winter empty your wallet. With energy costs going through the roof, be sure your heated air is not.

You’ve watched with alarm as the numbers on the gas pump flash past faster and faster, emptying your wallet more and more quickly. If your house came equipped with a similar gauge measuring energy costs, it would be spinning more quickly than ever, too. It’s no surprise that people who in previous years have just thought about making their homes more energy efficient are heading to the home improvement store, vowing that this winter they’ll make a difference in their energy bill.

And there’s no time to lose. Already, the average American home spends $2,350 a year on energy—electricity, natural gas, heating oil and/or propane—according to Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy. “This winter the Energy Information Administration is projecting that home-heating energy costs are going to go up,” she says. Heating oil, especially common in the wintry Northeast, could be 30 percent more expensive this year, while “natural gas is going to go up 24 percent, and that’s used to heat half the homes in the United States.”

The good news, say home-improvement experts, is that the typical home is ripe for energy savings—in many cases the fixes are fast, easy, and cheap.

There are three main ways to cut your heating bill: (a) decide that you don’t really need to be as warm; (b) keep warm air from escaping your house; and (c) create warm air more efficiently.

Option A: Keep Cool to Save Money

Option (a) is the easiest, according to Danny Lipford, host of the nationally syndicated television program Today’s Homeowner With Danny Lipford and home improvement correspondent for The Weather Channel and CBS-TV’s The Early Show. “A simple solution is to tolerate a lower temperature,” Lipford says.

“For every one degree you dial back, you’ll save about five percent on your heating bill,” Callahan says.

Don’t want to compromise on comfort? Install a programmable thermostat that you set to automatically lower the temperature a few degrees while you’re sleeping or away from home. Set it so the house warms up shortly before you wake up in the morning or return home in the evening, and you’ll hardly notice the difference—but you’ll notice when the heating bill arrives, Lipford says.

How much? “You can save up to 15 percent on your heating bill,” says Bob Jurecic, program merchant for The Home Depot, meaning the programmable thermostat can pay for itself through savings in less than a year. What’s more, many utilities actually give away programmable thermostats for free, or sell them at a deep discount. Call the utility that heats your home (electric company for an electric furnace or heat pump, or gas company for natural gas furnace) and see if there’s a local program for you.

Option B: Keeping Warm Air In and Cold Air Out

“One of the most important things people can do is seal air leaks and install appropriate insulation,” Callahan says, highlighting time-tested strategies. “You can reduce your heating costs by up to 20 percent. As a side benefit, people are more comfortable in their homes.”

As many as 80 percent of homes don’t have adequate insulation. Adding insulation in the attic is a great way to get energy savings. “It’s probably the fastest-payback option,” Jurecic says.

Take a look up there. See ceiling joists through the insulation? If so, you’re probably seriously underinsulated. Insulation is measured in R-values: the higher the R-value, the more effective the insulation. The R-value you need depends upon where you live. For example, insulation manufacturer Johns Manville recommends insulation with an R-value of 38 in the attics of San Francisco homes, but in Maine it’s best to use more, up to R-60. Many homes, says Jurecic, currently have attic insulation totaling R-11 or less.

Air can get in and out of your house in all sorts of places, many of which you might never imagine, such as through electrical outlets built into exterior walls. “You think it’s a small hole, but think of all the outlets around the home,” says Abby Buford, spokesperson for Lowe’s. “They can add up.” The fix is simple: Remove the outlet covers and install outlet sealers—inexpensive foam gaskets that fit behind outlet covers.

Investigate other potential openings to the outside or attic—dryer vents, exterior water faucets, furnace flues, recessed can lights, and whole-house fans. All might be leaking a little bit of warm air, which can be stopped with caulk.

Windows and doors are the most obvious places where air can escape. Grab a caulk gun and plug gaps around window and door frames. Drafty single-pane windows? Consider buying window-insulation kits. Weather-stripping around doors effectively reduces air leaks and saves money.

Windows can be an ally in keeping your house warm, adds Lipford. “Make it a habit to open the draperies and blinds on a sunny day and allow that heat buildup to occur.” Then close them at night to help keep the warm air inside.

The water heater is another source of heat loss to consider. Buying an inexpensive water-heater wrap adds insulation and allows the water heater to run less. And lower your water heater temperature to 120 degrees—plenty hot but lower than many water heaters are set on right now.

Option C: More Efficient Heating

Be sure you’re generating heat in the most efficient way possible. There are cheap solutions and expensive ones.

On the cheaper end, is your furnace clean and working properly? Make sure it has had its annual cleaning—and that includes replacing the air filter. Also be on the lookout for leaky ductwork, Callahan says. Symptoms include an increase in energy usage or an increase in dust in the home.

If you have an older system, consider replacing it with one of today’s more energy-efficient models. While an upfront expense, you’ll immediately use less energy. According to Callahan, a new Energy Star-certified heat pump can save about 20 percent, while a new furnace might be worth 15 percent in savings.

An increasingly popular option is the geothermal heat pump, which uses heat transferred from underground coils to warm the home. While more costly to install, the system achieves a significant savings on energy, because any heat extracted from the ground is heat you’re not paying for. And as with programmable thermostats, some utilities are making it easier for customers to afford the technology. In Montrose, Colorado, for example, the local utility will install the coils and charge customers a small monthly fee to use them—customers end up saving 30 to 70 percent on their operating costs.

The pellet stove is another energy-efficient alternative that is, so to speak, heating up. The state-of-the-art device burns special pellets made of recycled sawdust—burning them so efficiently that there’s almost complete combustion of the fuel. Nearly a million homes use pellet stoves to provide more economical heat, and it’s a good bet that more will be installed this winter.

If in the market for a new water heater, consider the latest tankless models. Rather than heating 40 or 50 gallons of water and then wasting energy keeping the water hot 24/7, they heat water on-demand, only when it’s needed. This has two benefits: you save energy and don’t run out of hot water when a bunch of people shower.

New technologies aside, the bottom line is that you can save lots of money on your heating bill through simple, tried-and-true fixes—from plugging air leaks to replacing furnace filters to getting a new thermostat. “Those are the things that work,” says Lipford. “They’re not necessarily novel or brand-new, but they’re proven to save you money.”

Other Ways to $ave Energy

Better bulbs: For each incandescent bulb you replace with a compact fluorescent, you can save up to $5 a year.
Ghostbusters: Today’s electronics, including your TV and computer, often draw power even when they’re turned off—called a “phantom load.” Use a power strip to totally shut the devices down when not in use and save up to $25 a year.
Fridge: Replace that old refrigerator with a new Energy Star-rated model and save about $50 a year. As for that even older fridge in the garage or basement, pull the plug and save $90 a year.
One-temperature washing: Stick with cold water for all of your laundry and pocket as much as $50 a year.
Out go the lights: Get in the habit of turning off the lights and appliances when you leave the room; it could be worth $50 a year.