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Tips on making your home energy efficient
From Lowe’s

Insulate your water heater

If you always have plenty of hot water, you may be able to get by with lowering your water heater's thermostat setting. Just don't lower it below 120° F. Electric heaters benefit most from this approach to saving energy. Timers are also available which allow you to make the water heater conform to your water usage schedule. They prevent the water heater from trying to maintain hot water during periods when it is never used.

Water heaters are insulated, but you can always add to that. For a small investment, you can significantly reduce the amount of heat lost by the unit, particularly if your water heater is located in an unheated area. Inexpensive insulating blanket kits for water heaters are available; or, if you wish, you can make your own with a roll of duct tape and faced fiberglass insulation.

• Cut strips of insulation the same length as the circumference of the water heater.
• Wrap the insulation horizontally around the unit using duct tape to seal the seams where they meet.
• Make cutouts to leave the thermostat, controls and drain faucets exposed.
• If you have an electric water heater, cut a cap of insulation to fit the top. Provide slits for the water inlet and outlet pipes.
• If you have a gas water heater, do not cover the burner access or the flue collar. Leave about 2" of exposed area around the flue collar.
• Tape any remaining joints and seams.

Do your water pipes pass through an unheated area? Do they run under your house or from an unheated utility room? If so, insulate your pipes—at least the hot water pipes. Uninsulated hot water pipes lose heat and cause your water heater to work harder. While the same is not true of cold water pipes, insulating them can prevent them from sweating and dripping in heated areas, or freezing in unheated areas.

Easy to use, pre-formed foam pipe insulation sleeves are available. These sleeves have a slit down their length and just snap in place on the pipes. Cut them to length to fit as closely as possible at all ends, corners and junctions. With a little imagination, you can cut miters and angles in the material in such a way that the insulation completely covers any junctions. Cover the slits and joints with vinyl duct tape.

Change furnace filters

People in the heating and air conditioning business are always talking about the importance of changing furnace filters. There must be a reason.

Most furnace filters are inexpensive, disposable and easily replaced. There is no good reason to neglect them. On the other hand, clogged filters reduce airflow through the heating/cooling system, forcing the unit to work harder. Severely clogged filters can cause the unit to overheat and can lead to premature compressor damage in air conditioning systems.

Check your furnace filter monthly. In fact, some people say that if you are going to go to the trouble to pull it out and look at it, you might as well go ahead and replace it. If you use the more expensive disposable filters designed to filter out allergens and extremely small particles, you may want to hold the filter up to make sure light still comes through it easily, but even these filters should be replaced at least every three months.

Self-charging electrostatic filters that require no electricity are available. They filter out extremely small particles and last for several years. This type of filter should be cleaned by rinsing from the clean side once a month.

Cover windows and seal doors

Heat lost through windows and doors represents a significant chunk of most heating bills. Some sources estimate that loss through windows alone could account for up to 35 percent of heating bills. If you are tired of watching your hard earned money slip through the cracks, there are things that you can do:

• Check around windows and doors with a candle or a light piece of thread on a windy day to determine where drafts are. This will reveal problem areas in need of immediate attention.
• Remove and replace damaged caulk and weather-stripping. Self-stick foam and rolled rubber weather-stripping are easy to install, and can contribute greatly to your home's efficiency.
• Decorate your windows with efficiency — closed shutters, window shades, blinds, curtains and lined draperies. All contribute to energy savings by helping to insulate windows.