12 Quick Ways to Save Household Energy
September 09, 2012; 9:22 AM
RenovateyourWorld.com
You've already installed a programmable thermostat to regulate heating and cooling and added weather stripping to stop your home's most obvious drafts. Maybe you've even switched to a few compact fluorescent light bulbs. But if you're interested in even more energy savings - and who isn't? Here are products and projects that go beyond the obvious. Most are fairly easy DIY jobs and will pay you back in savings fairly quickly.
"Clog" Your Chimney
Photo courtesy of quisnovus
Ho Ho Ho: Your chimney is a major source of heat loss even with a conventional damper in the closed position. Good dampers work great while new, but over time even a great damper will warp and allow cold air in. The Chimney Balloon®, invented by an English plastics engineer concerned about heat loss, provides a double layer of padded insulation and is 15 percent more efficient that using a conventional damper, based on tests by a certified energy auditor. If you don't have a damper at all, Chimney Balloon is 27 percent more efficient. At Christmas, deflate the chimney balloon or leave a warning note for Santa.
Cost: $43-$87 depending on size, pump $32
For more info: ChimneyBalloon.us
Save Attic Energy Loss
Photo courtesy of mskogly
Even with the attic access door closed, you may be wasting money heating and cooling a storage space. The Attic Tent insulator plugs that energy leak, reducing heat loss up to 71 percent and cutting your energy bill up to 20 percent – paying for itself in one year. How? A sleeping bag-looking insulated door covers your entryway, allowing you easy, zippered accessibility into your space while keeping blown insulation where it belongs. Available in seven different sizes, it can be used on folding attic stairs, attic scuttle holes, knee wall doors, and full-sized doors that are up to 35-inches long. Best part: It arrives fully assembled and ready to install.
Cost: $200-$240 depending on size
For more info: AtticTent.com