10 Tips for Winterizing Your Home for Efficiency

Efficient homes are, by nature, more ecologically sound. The less power

The average U.S. family spends $1,400 a year on energy bills, and heating accounts for 34 percent of that total ($476) on average. Inefficient heating also contributes to climate change: The average American home emits double the amount of carbon dioxide that an average U.S. vehicle does

1. Check your windows and doorways for heat loss, and use weather-stripping and eco-friendly caulk to repair any leaks. Gaps in caulking can account for up to 10% of our heating costs.
2. Schedule a service call to have a technician come and clean your heating system or furnace and clean the ductwork. Ductwork for central heating and air units can clog with dust and debris over time that in turn can make our homes environment unhealthy. Change your air filters at this time as well.
3. Check trees for any loose or damaged branches that could fall during a winter storm and damage your home.
4. If you use a fireplace, make sure you've got a flu screen, and have the chimney cleaned and inspected. A surprising number of winter house fires start due to faulty ventilation in chimneys.
5. An eco-friendly way to save on busted pipes is to recycle any old blankets or packing materials you've saved over the year. Use sheets of bubble wrap under old blankets cut to strips and then duct tape them over your pipes. Old blue jeans also make great insulation. You can also opt to purchase recycled pipe insulation from your local home improvement store.
6. Make sure exterior crawl spaces are closed off from animals that may be seeking shelter from winter cold. These visitors can damage pipes and insulation as well as under-dwelling ductwork.
7. Use non-toxic de-icers such as clean clay cat litter, sand, or fireplace ash to present the hazardous waste posed by chemical de-icing products. Chemical snow melters pollute surface and ground water through the soil, and they're hazardous to pets, wildlife, and plants. Also, check to make sure antifreeze isn't leaking from your car - it's poisonous to pets and wildlife.
8. Save your fireplace ashes instead of throwing them away - they're a great addition to your compost heap.
9. Another great use for those newspapers you've been saving - wrap the newspaper around a broomstick until it makes a LOG of the desired size. Secure with rubber bands and soak in cold water until thoroughly wet. Remove from the water and let dry completely. Use these "logs" as fire starters and burners in your fireplace or on camping trips!

10. While it may be hard to undress enough to stay cool in sweltering summer heat, winter provides us the perfect opportunity to "dress for the occasion" - wear sweat suits and sweaters, robes and house slippers and turn the heat down by 1 degree. Just a 1 degree difference in your temperature setting can save you as much as 10% on your winter heating bill.