Heating and cooling are often a home’s biggest energy use. Small fixes add up. On a frigid January night in Minneapolis or a scorching August afternoon in Phoenix, your furnace or air conditioner is working hard to keep the inside of your home comfortable while the outside does everything it can to get in. Every gap around a door, every thin patch of attic insulation and every leaky duct makes that job harder, and you pay for the difference on your utility bill.
The good news is that many of the most effective energy upgrades are also among the least glamorous and least expensive. You do not need to start with solar panels or a brand-new heating system. Sealing drafts, adding insulation and tuning up the equipment you already have can make a noticeable difference in comfort and cost. This guide walks through the biggest wins, starting with the simplest.
Start with a home energy audit
Before spending money, it helps to know where your home is losing energy. A professional home energy audit typically includes a blower door test, which uses a powerful fan to depressurize the house and reveal air leaks, and often an infrared camera scan that shows where heat is escaping. The auditor then gives you a prioritized list of improvements.