Brummet's Conscious Blog

Often the largest heat and cooling energy loss in homes comes from the exterior doors themselves. Door weather-strips and sill-plates need to be inspected for air leaks and replaced if necessary.  Perhaps a storm door that doubles as a screen door, would be appropriate for your situation – this seals off your entrance door from extreme temperatures. Check the damper for the fireplace, if you have one, to ensure it fits snug, so that when the unit is not being used it will not let in cold air.  Sometimes the suction from a forced air heating system can pull cold air down through the electric range hood above the kitchen stove. Try blocking this off with a piece of corrugated plastic attached with magnetic strips. As a reminder place a post-it-note over the fan button on the range hood so that it is not accidentally turned on without removing this cover first. Keep the hot water tank thermostat at 51-55˚C (125˚-131˚F) and insulate any hot water pipes you can readily access. If y...