1. Have your local utility company conduct a Household Energy Audit. This simple and inexpensive procedure will identify the areas in your home where heated air is escaping—that’s air that you’ve already paid to heat!

2. Replace your old, ineffective fireplace damper with a gasketed top-sealing damper (TSD’s). Virtually all energy audits identify older fireplaces as being a huge source of energy loss. Top-sealing dampers are cable operated devices that are installed on top of your chimney. Proper installation of a TSD commonly saves the homeowner up to $350.00 per year from reduced heating costs. 

3. Change the filter on your furnace regularly. When your furnace filter gets dirty, your furnace has to work harder to move the heated air and transfer the energy to your home. Changing your filter not only saves you money, it removes dust and dander from the air you breathe.  

4. Install a ceiling fan. The concept is simple, but remarkably effective:  de-stratify the layers of air in your home. The warmer air near your ceiling is a reservoir of energy; the ceiling fan mixes that air into the rest of the room giving you a more evenly heated living environment. The effects from installing a single ceiling fan in the largest room of your home can be dramatic.

5. Replace weather-stripping on doors and windows. Sealing off leaking windows and doors not only saves you money, it makes your house more comfortable to live in. 

6. Insulate your attic access panel and make sure it has a good seal. A considerable amount of air flows out of your home and into the attic through an unsealed access panel. The air pressure in your home constantly seeks to stay in balance with the outdoors. It’s not entirely intuitive, but blocking air from leaving your house through the upper levels, will automatically reduce the amount of cold air that infiltrates at the lower levels. Less warm air leaving means less cold air arriving—air that you have to pay to heat!

7. Zone Heating!!! If you already have a zoned heating system, you can save money by re-evaluating the amount of heat you distribute to unused rooms. If not, you can install an attractive hearth appliance to provide warmth and comfort in the areas you enjoy the most. Modern fireplaces, stoves and inserts are extremely efficient heaters, so you only have to pay to heat the room(s) you want to heat.   

For more information about replacing your inefficient hearth appliance and other energy saving ideas, contact us today at Mountain Hearth & Patio - (303) 679-1601 or electronically at Office@MtnHP.com.