This article discusses home energy savings. There are a number of simple maintenance chores to attend to before getting into high cost, energy-saving investments in insulation, solar energy, etc..

• Plug the holes. Weather stripping, caulking, and patching foundation cracks are always worthwhile. Adding storm or combination windows in front of existing window sashes may be cost-effective, depending on circumstances. Replacing existing windows with double-glazed units can rarely be justified on the basis of cost alone in temperate areas of country. Double panes are also tough to replace if broken. Tip: If your windows are equipped with screening, but lack storm sash, covering them with plastic sheets looks awful, but works well. Don't make the house too tight and stuffy, however. It's not comfortable, and can lead to moisture buildup, rotting, and mildew inside walls. Really tight houses may need a small fan (more like a kitchen range fan than the large attic fans in many older homes) to draw out moisture from time to time.
• Check the furnace. Caution: Don't depend on oil-burner service people to keep it clean. Even if they do, they'll only handle cleaning once a year. That's not enough.
There are several devices available for checking burner efficiency. Contact your local gas utility (the person to talk to usually has a title like "energy conservation liaison"), county energy conservation~ office I many areas have them), or plumbing and heating contractor for a test. Utilities and gm-ornament offices do it free; contractors charge about 530. See energy savings for more information.

Have the contractor change the oil (or gas) burner nozzle for the spring and summer. A smaller nozzle cuts the burning rate 30%. It saves fuel (especially in hot air or water systems).
Heating system modifications. Units that close the flue when the burner is not operating are rarely cost-effective at current prices ($400 installed).
Other s\-stem modifications to consider first: (1) Old. open-circulating hot water systems (the expansion tank is under the roof, and vents to the outside) should be converted to pressurized systems with a circulating pump and expansion tank in the basement. (2) Zoning heat (to reduce now to all but bedroom area at night) may be worthwhile to do at same time. (3) Fan on hot air furnace should be wired to continue running when the furnace burner is off-that increases the electrical bill slightly, but improves comfort and cuts fuel bills by decreasing stratification (hot air at top of room, cool near floor). (4) Day/night thermostats, or even computerized units to change desired temperature at various times during the day, are usually cost-effective especially if you're about to replace old thermostats anywhere due to normal wear. (5) In flue heat exchangers are usually worthwhile ($150 to $300 installed), especially on older furnaces (plenty of wasted heat in flue to capture) and where heat can be ducted to nearby living space. Problem: Units require frequent maintenance and cleaning. The task is messy, but simple and worthwhile.

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• Radiators. Oldest are best. Cast-iron radiators even out the flow of heat from furnace, circulate air in rooms by convection. Leave them uncovered and undraped (drapes should end at the bottom of a window, or fall behind the radiators). Covers, if you insist on them for looks, should offer wide spaces for air flow in front and above radiators themselves. Avoid covers with solid tops. Paint radiators a flat black. Shiny silver cuts efficiency.
• Hot water heaters. Often set at 160°. Cut to 140 ° if you have dishwasher (you may have to insulate hot water line to distant kitchen; low-cost kits are available from builders' supply houses), 110 ° without dishwasher. Consider a booster unit to heat water for dishwashing only (see plumbing contractor). Average family uses 26,000 gallons of hot water per year. That takes more energy than refrigerator, TV, stove, freezer, and lights combined.
• Air conditioners. Buy units of correct size for room. Common mistake: Buying a bigger unit because it costs only a few dollars more. This wastes money in the long run. Keep filters clean-change them once a month in summer. Install the air conditioner on the north side of the building, if possible. Reason:
It's the side that keeps the coolest in the summer. Central air conditioning: The condenser should be on the north side for the same reason. If located elsewhere, shield it from the sun.

• Sign of wasted heat: Quickly melting snow on the roof of the house indicates that heat is being lost because of poor attic insulation.
• Test for air leaks: On a windy day, hold a lighted candle near the frames of doors and windows. If the name flickers, there are leaks that need sealing.
• Don't plant tall evergreens on any side of the house but the north. Otherwise the sun's warming rays will be blocked in the winter.
• Energy conservation trap: Too-tight insulation reduces air circulation, which increases humidity and allows bacteria to breed. Solution: A dehumidifier.
• Wrap up your water heater. An average 14% of the heat from a water heater escapes into the house, lowering the heater's efficiency and raising cooling costs. Solution: Install insulation, which shouldn't cost very much, around the heater. Energy savings should pay for the kit within a year.
• Quartz heaters. Advertising claims are greatly exaggerated. Their energy efficiency is about the same as other electric space heaters.

Ads implying that quartz heaters are a technological innovation are nonsense. They have been on the market for over 20 years.
• Attic fans. Proper use: When evening temperatures drop, open house windows and turn on the fan. It will draw in the cool night air. Next morning, shut off the fan, close all windows, and draw all drapes. The temperature in a well-insulated house will stay comfortable all day. Attic fans are relatively inexpensive (about $ 500) and they use only a small portion of the energy of central air conditioning.
• Save hot water. Shower: Remove the shower head, and insert a common washer inside the threaded end of the head, as far as it will go. Then reattach the head. This will cut water flow by half. The cost is about 10<1:. Or use a plastic or metal water restrictor that fits behind the shower head and doesn't decrease spray intensity. Taps: An aerator will reduce water flow by 50%. (Brass disk aerators last longer than rubber or plastic ones.) Dishwasher: Wash only full loads. Don't rinse the plates beforehand, just scrape them clean.
• Energy-saving cooking. Rules: (1) Use the smallest pot and the least amount of water possible to speed up cooking time. (2) Bring water to a boil on high heat, then cook on medium heat. (3) Match the pot size with the size of the electric range element. Discard wobbly pots with uneven bottoms. They don't distribute heat evenly and can cause accidents.

• Plug up the damper in your fireplace with insulation or wood. Saving: $20 to $45 a year for Snowbelt areas.
• Seal holes in the attic floor where pipes, ducts, and exhaust fans cut through. Potential saving: $25 to $80 each year.
• Extend caulking or weather stripping beyond windows and doors. Other areas worth looking into: Baseboards, wall outlets, pipes, wires, and vents. Covering heating or air conditioning ducts that pass through unfinished attics or basements alone can save up to $100 a year in heating and $35 a year in central air conditioning for many houses.
• Roofing in warm climates. Consider aluminum asbestos-fib rated roof coatings that reflect heat. They cost more to install, but there's sizable saving in air-conditioning costs when the aluminum is compared to black asphalt (which absorbs heat).