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A wood fire in a fireplace is nice to look at but fireplaces are are one of the most inefficient heat sources you can possibly use. A roaring fire can exhaust between 20,000 to 25,000 cubic feet of air per hour, sending your energy dollars literally up the chimney. All this heat being exhausted from the home must  be replaced by cold air from outside. Even if you don’t use the fireplace to heat your home it can still be a big source of heat loss.

If you have a conventional fireplace you might want to consider putting in a fireplace insert. Electric inserts don’t require a vent so you can seal the flue so that the heat doesn’t escape. A gas insert requires a vent but it should be smaller than the fireplace chimney. There are ventless inserts and gas logs but I don’t recommend using any ventless gas appliance unless it is only used for backup heating. in case of a power failure.

If you don’t use your fireplace at all plug and seal the chimney flue. If used occasionally be sure the damper is tightly closed when not in use. Fireplace doors can help, installed properly doors can help reduce heat loss. Be sure the fireplace grate is in good condition before using as logs rolling out can be a big problem.

What it comes down to is if you have a fireplace be sure not to forget it when your planning energy savings in your home.

One of the most important systems ion your home, though most likely unseen is the duct-work. Usually in the crawlspace, basement or attic. Uninsulated and/or leaky ducts can add hundreds of dollars to your heating and cooling bills. There are two parts to a typical duct system, the supply which brings treated air into the living space through the registers and the return which takes inside air and returns it to the air handler to be retreated and redistributed throughout the house.

Ideally there would be a return duct in every room where there is a supply duct , that is usually not the case as that doubles the amount of duct work and is more expensive.  Most of the time there will be one or two larger ducts for the return located centrally in the home,

All ducts, supply and return, should be sealed as air tight as possible and insulated especially if it is in an unconditioned space. I recommend sealing all joints and cracks in in the duct-work with duct mastic and insulating with duct wrap insulation.  In my experience using a good foil tape on joints and covering that with mastic works pretty good. Regular duct tape has a tendency to to dry out and come off. Insulation should also be secured to the ducts with tie wire or plastic ties so that it stays where you put it.

Sealing and insulating duct-work can be a dirty, messy job it usually involves crawling around under the house or in the attic. You might want to have a professional do it, but if your a do -it- your self-er  it’s not complicated. It will just take some time and effort. It could save you money.