Angie's List: Improve Your Home's Energy Efficiency

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Our mild temperatures and lower fuel prices should save on heating costs this winter. But when it is time to crank up the heat, Angie's List has some tips to keep from going broke.

Dan Welkin is a "comfort consultant." He pokes around in attics and crawl spaces, assessing "home performance" – the combination of HVA efficiency and how well a house maintains its temperature.

"There's no reason to upgrade to a high-efficiency furnace if there's something wrong with your duct work in the attic," Welkin said.

Welkin says sealing air leaks is the easiest and least expensive way to improve your home's energy efficiency. He suggests doing your own depressurization test to help find leaks.

"Turn on your clothes dryer, your bath exhaust vents and your kitchen exhaust vent, and then go around everyone in the home and feel for cold air leaks," he said. "The best time to do this is on a very cold day."

Once you seal any leaks, shift your focus to the heating system.

The biggest user of energy in your home is your HVAC system, so proper maintenance is going to save you money. Change your furnace filter each month, and be sure to get a furnace tune-up this fall.

Insulation is another key. Welkin says you need 10 to 12 inches in your attic. Any more than that may not be cost-effective.

And if you use a space heater, be careful. Improper use makes them the second leading cause of home fires, and running them constantly will hit you hard in the wallet.

"A $15 space heater running 24/7 could add over $100 a month to your bill," Welkin said.

Another cost-saving tip: install a programmable thermostat to lower your home's temperature by at least three degrees from where you normally keep it. Do that for eight hours or more to really see the savings.

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