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- Install insulating gaskets in electrical outlets or switches on outside walls. Kits are available at hardware and home improvement stores.
- Place aluminum foil reflectors behind radiators to reflect heat back into the room.
- Dust or vacuum ducts, registers, radiators and refrigerator coils regularly and bleed air from hot water radiators periodically.
- Install air deflectors to your floor heating vents.
- Insulate the pipe leading from your water heater.
- Insulate ducts and hot water pipes that pass through unheated areas like the garage, basement and attic. Use duct wrap insulation or batts and duct tape. Start with one or two and do others as you can.
- Stuff insulation into any gaps where pipes and ducts enter the living space from unheated portions of your home.
- Add insulation whenever possible, perhaps just a little bit at a time. Improving attic insulation can save 10 to 50% of your heating and cooling costs.
- Stuff batt insulation or add foam sealant into any gaps where pipes and ducts enter the living space from unheated portions of your home. Note: CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) found in some foam insulation can harm the ozone layer. Look for CFC-free insulation products.
- Install a flow restrictor on your shower. This device can cut the cost of taking a hot shower in half. It generally costs less than a dollar, is easily inserted into the shower head and cuts the flow of water virtually in half.
- Ever hear of the milk carton test? Open an empty, half-gallon cardboard milk carton and hold it up to the shower while it's fully on. If it fills in less than ten seconds, your shower could use an energy-efficient shower-head. You'll get the same pressure with a smaller volume of water, and you'll save energy too.
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