investments in home energy efficiency for the winter

If you live in a cold climate, and if you are on the average, about 35% of your residential energy bills will come from winter heating costs.

And the only way to reduce drastically such large amounts is to bet on some basic investments in energy efficiency: bolstering home’s insulation, replacing older appliances, the installation of efficient windows, the use of programmable thermostats, the sealing of leaky ductwork or the implementation of heating zones...

Investing in insulation and air sealing

Insulation (and air sealing) is the best energy-efficiency investment in colder climates. Insulation is crucial for lower heating costs.

Unless you live in a hot climate, install as much insulation as possible in your attic and exterior walls. If possible, improve also the insulation levels of foundations and floors (under crawl spaces).

Official insulation requirements tend to fell short of the optimum. To get lower energy bills, increase the insulation above what's recommended officially. In colder climates, high levels of insulation can easily reduce heating costs by 20%, 30% or more. And you will get a more comfortable home for the winter.

See: Home Insulation Solutions and Home air leaks and sealing.

Sealing the ducts

Check your ductwork for leaks, and consider hiring a contractor to test its tightness and repair possible leaks.

If you have a central heating system, repairing leaky ducts is an investment in energy-efficiency. A leaky ductwork can cost you about $100 yearly, if it runs through unconditioned spaces.

See: Duct sealing

High-efficiency windows

Old and energy inefficient windows (and entry and patio doors) are important sources of energy loss. New efficient windows can sharply reduce your energy costs (in some cases up to 20%-30%, according to US DOE) making the replacement of old and outdated windows a good investment.

The problem is that it is also an expensive energy-efficient investment. For those in a tight budget, storm windows and storm doors are a much cheaper alternative (also consider weatherstripping your windows and doors).

See:
New efficient windows
Storm windows vs. Replacement Windows
Weatherstripping your Windows

Programmable thermostats

Manual thermostats are too limited, namely for those who can’t manage their settings during the day. Programmable thermostats are a cheap energy efficient investment. They can save 10-15% on your energy bills.

Using heaters or Valves and Dampers for Zoning

Instead of keeping the entire home at the same temperature (wasting energy in unoccupied rooms or parts of the house with little occupancy during large parts of the day), you can define several areas with different heating loads: a strategy called zoning.

If you have a central heating system you can get it by using a control panel and a set of rooms thermostats linked to dampers (for furnaces and heat pumps...) or valves (for baseboards and other hot water systems)

You can also get zoning by lowering the central heating settings some degrees above a comfortable temperature and using room heaters to warm up some rooms selectively, according to occupancy patterns.

These and other zoning heating strategies are a good way of getting energy saving, and may require a relatively small investment.

See: Heating and Cooling Zones

Investing in new efficient Heating Systems

Furnaces, heat pumps, boilers and water heaters with 12 or more years are typically inefficient when compared with today’s qualified models (prefer Energy Star, EU Eco, Australia Green Beings , Energy Saving Trust UK and other energy-certified products).

You will get significant energy savings by investing in new units, or by considering some green alternatives, namely solar powered systems.

See, on these issues:
Efficient New Furnaces
New Heat Pumps
Boiler Solutions
Water Heater Solutions
Solar Solutions

Winter energy savings

Cut back energy waste in the winter holiday season. That's always a good investment in energy efficiency. See: How to save on Winter Energy Bills