How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient
This post was sponsored through our partnership with Trane. All thoughts are my own.
Since becoming a homeowner, almost 6 years ago, I’ve learned a lot about making our home efficient. We moved into a home that wasn’t very efficient and many things needed to be replaced/upgraded. Of course you don’t realize these things until after you have lived there.
We’ve made a lot of small changes around the home; they have made a big difference in my family’s comfort level and the cost of our gas and electric bills.
The first thing we did after moving in was replace all windows in our home. The summer time was brutal in our living room; every ounce of the sun’s rays poured into our house and it was hot. We also replaced our garage doors with insulted steel doors, replaced our AC/Furnace and installed ceiling fans into every room of our house.
I thought we were covered..
We recently took part in a home energy efficiency analysis, conducted by Trane Comfort Specialists – Apex Heating & Air Conditioning, and welcomed them into our home to tell us what we were doing right, wrong and what changes we could make to improve our home’s efficiency. I’ve never had this done before; it was quite an experience to learn so much about our home!
Keep reading for tips that were shared with us on how to make your home more efficient. 
Ceiling Fans & Winter Settings
The layout of our house is a split-level, upstairs and basement. The two main rooms up stairs, living room and kitchen, are both featured with tall vaulted ceilings. While vaulted ceilings make our rooms feel larger, they are horrible for maintaining temperature.
The pros at Apex Heating & Air Conditioning told us, on vaulted ceilings like ours, you should never use the winter settings on your ceiling fans. This is the first thing we were doing wrong. Flat ceilings in your home should use the winter settings and vaulted ceilings should remain on the summer setting at the lowest speed.
Insulation in the Fireplace?
We have a double-sided fireplace that is never used in our home. We have no plans to use the fireplace. In the wintertime, the damper inside of your fireplace can leak cold air into your home so we were told to place fiberglass insulation up into the chimney. No one will ever see it and it will help prevent drafts into your home. *
Note!! Only do this if you have a fireplace that isn’t being used, this is not recommended for fireplaces that are used during the winter as the insulation will catch fire!
Other great tips offered from the pros
- Windows – Use curtains on the windows located on the west side of your home and tint them to provide extra protection from the sun’s heat
- Door Seals – Check the gaskets around your doors and make sure there are no gaps. If you see peaks of daylight coming in, then it’s probably time to replace them.
- Attic Fans – They are wonderful in the spring and Fall months, but in the Winter they can bring a draft into your home. Cover attic fans with plastic during the winter months to prevent cold air from coming in.
- Programmable Thermostats – If you are dropping the temperature in your home while away, make sure you are decreasing the temperature at least 4 degrees in the Summer time for a minimum of 3 hours. In the wintertime, there should be a 15-degree difference for a minimum of 3 hours. Anything less than that, then you are losing money.
- Furnace Filters – Make sure you are using furnace filters with pleats in them, not flat. They help to move the air better through your home.
Like I told you above, we recently replaced our AC/Furnace unit and thought we were doing good! There were a few things that we missed.
Maintenance
Your AC and Furnace should be maintenance every year, at a minimum of every other year. Since being injured this summer, I haven’t gotten out back much. Our beds were over grown with weeds and blocking flow on our AC unit. Clear away debris from your units!
Also, we thought our AC unit was looking pretty good, but the back of the unit said another story. Since we have not done maintenance on our unit, the back of our AC was covered in dirt that wasn’t cleaned out by the rain. We lost 1/3 ton of our efficiency during the summer months.
I have a phone call going into Apex Heating & Air Conditioning on Monday to change this!
Hopefully, some of these tips help you out like they did for us.
Kansas City St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway!
To see one of Trane’s connected control, energy-efficient products in-use, visit the Kansas City St. Jude Dream Home. Trane donated the unit as part of its national partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.
The Kansas City St. Jude Dream Home is one of almost 30 custom-built homes that will be given away throughout the year through local raffle drawings or auctioned off to help support the hospital’s mission of finding cures and saving lives of kids battling cancer and other deadly diseases. Unlike any other hospital, the majority of funding for St. Jude comes from individual contributions through programs like the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway.
Get your raffle ticket for a chance to win a house with an estimated value of $525,000 or another great prize while helping St. Jude save the lives of children.
The winner will be drawn on Sunday, October 12, 2014, on 41 Action News KSHB-TV at 10 p.m. Click here for more details on the Kansas City St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway
Giveaway Ended – Winner has been contacted
Amy O.
Giveaway Terms & Conditions: No purchase is required to enter or win. This giveaway is open only to individuals who are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (including the District of Columbia), who are 18 years of age or older. Giveaway ends on October 8th, 2014. Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to claim prize before a new winner is drawn.
Great tips! I had no clue about the 15-degree difference in winter, so I’ll definitely have to see how that affects my bill when it cools down again. Thanks for sharing!
The sun really heats up our house during the summer, and the west side is definitely the biggest culprit, like you mention. We have blinds and curtains, but I have often felt like there was something more we had to be able to do. I’ll have to look into getting our windows tinted, because that might be the extra boost we need to keep our house cool this summer.
We had to do a lot of things to the house we are in now to make it more efficient. The one thing we haven’t done yet is your fireplace suggestion, thanks for sharing!
Insulating the fireplaces. That would be very helpful for us.
Thanks for the giveaway… Insulation in the Fireplace: this is a great, often overlooked, idea for those who never use their fireplace(s) !
I never knew that folded was better than flat for the furnace. Good to know for this upcoming winter.
I thought the tips were interesting. I didn’t know that pleated furnace filters are better for air flow.
I think it was interesting that cleaning the back of the air conditioning made such a big difference!!
The vaulted ceiling fans was important to us as we did not know the difference
You should make to replace the filters every year.
i found it interesteing that ac maintenance should be every year. i would have thought less frequently but that is good to know
I didn’t know that information about vaulted ceiling and ceiling fans.
I like the reminder to Clear away debris from your units
If you have vaulted ceilings don’t use the winter setting on your fan.
the valuted ceilings didnt know this
I didn’t know that about vaulted ceilings and the winter settings on fans. I have a vaulted ceiling, so this was good to know.
I don’t change my heater filter like I should.
Get a commercial quality attic fan if you can.
that you have to replace filters every year
You should make to replace the filters every single year
I learned the difference in using the fan with vaulted and flat ceilings.
I found the information about the attic fan interesting. We have one & I never thought of that!!
I thought it was interesting that you can fill an unused fireplace with some insulation to keep some of the cold air out of the house. Very useful tip.
I hadn’t thought to check the back of the AC unit so that is something I will check.
I learned and found interesting that for flat ceilings in your home you should use the winter settings and for vaulted ceilings you should remain on the summer setting at the lowest speed.
I found the furnace filters with pleats tips interesting. I have never heard this. We should probably check into this for our home.
Remember to replace your filter every single year.
I thought this was interesting: Make sure you are using furnace filters with pleats in them, not flat.
Thanks for the contest.
replace filters every year
Putting fiberglass inside a fireplace.
Im feeling pretty good, we just had our house updated to be more energy efficient
I was really surprised to learn that vaulted ceilings should remain on the summer setting. I thought all fans should be on the winter setting regardless of your ceiling.
I found it so interesting about covering that attic fan with plastic to keep the cold air from coming in during the winter months. I am going to have my husband do that next month.
I know all these tips and find it interesting that we just finished winterizing our house today. We put in a new filter, insulated the attic fan, changed curtains, and more. There are a few more little things we want to finish this weekend to finish winterizing.
I work in Energy Services for a local non-profit administering fuel assistance here in Maine and I thought your evaluation was right on-great tips and very helpful to consumers looking to help control rising energy costs. I was pretty surprised to learn that furnace filters should have pleats and not be flat, to help circulate air in the home.
I would have never thought to put insulation in my chimney.
I did not realize you should not use winter settings on your ceiling fans with vaulted ceilings
I didn’t know that dirt on your AC could cause it to lose 1/3 of its efficiency. Time for us to clean ours off!
I found the programmable thermostat most interesting. I should get one.
I thought it was interesting about the back of your a/c unit and efficiency. Ours is clear of debris, but now I need to take a look and check out the back. (We haven’t done our yearly a/c unit check this year…oops!)
stuffing the chimney with insulation is new to me too…..never heard of that before
That y’all lost 1/3 ton of our efficiency during the summer months. That is crazy!
I didn’t know to get special furnace filters with pleats!
I never knew that you should cover attic fans with plastic during the winter months to prevent cold air from coming in.
Windows – Use curtains on the windows located on the west side of your home and tint them to provide extra protection from the sun’s heat
I’d never heard of stuffing the chimney with insulation.
I love the idea of insulating the fireplace! I’d never thought of it!
I found it interesting that on vaulted ceilings you should never use the winter settings on your ceiling fans. . Flat ceilings in your home should use the winter settings and vaulted ceilings should remain on the summer setting at the lowest speed.
I found the note about using the ceiling fan on summer settings when you have vaulted ceilings interesting.
I didn’t think of insulation in the fire place.
I learned that with our vaulted ceilings our ceiling fans should remain on the summer setting at the lowest speed.
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
the section about attic fans were interesting. we are currently in the market to purchase a home. this information was very informative :)
I had never heard the info about not using the winter setting on ceiling fans if you have a vaulted ceiling. That was interesting.
I found it interesting that a good way to look for leaks of air around the doors is to see a line of daylight. We have lots of those so now I need to fix the problem.
what suprised me was the Attic fans!
Insulation in the fireplace was the most interesting tip to me. I hadn’t thought of that before.
I actually thought Programmable Thermostats is intresting,I didn’t know that.
Attic fans.
Attic fans! I never thought about having a fan in an attic, but it makes perfect sense.
All of our appliances, air conditioner, water heater etc are energy efficient. But our windows let through a lot of cold air during the winter and our electrical outlets on the wall next to our patio door freezes over in the winter. SO thank you for sharing these tips for windows and using our programmable thermostat, I am going to try them this winter.
I love the great tips especially regarding windows. I never thought to use curtains on the windows located on the west side of your home and tint them to provide extra protection from the sun’s heat.
I love the tips from the pros.
I would never have though in winter the damper inside of my fireplace could leak cold air into my home & to put in fiberglass insulation in the chimney. One more thing to add to the honey do list. Thanks for the tip!
I didn’t know to not use the winter settings on vaulted ceilings!
I never thought about the attic fans in the winter.
Insulation up an UN used fireplace is amazing! Great tip
The tip to use pleated furnace filters was useful to me. I didn’t know they helped give better air flow.
Insulating the fireplace is a must this year …
I like the tip about covering the attic fan. I never thought to cover it.
I would of never thought of a yearly maintenance on your AC unit, but it makes sense. The pleated filters idea also I was not aware of
I love the hints about the window seals. This would be useful in the winter to protect from cold getting in.
Good to know you should maintenance your AC & furnace yearly!
I never really think about energy efficiency until winter rolls around and I feel how cold our floor are around our doors. I should get much better about this.
I’d never thought of stuffing insulation up an unused fireplace. Great tip.
I have never heard or thought of using insulation inside the fireplace! That’s a great tip.
heating and air conditioning unit needs maintenance once a year.
The insulation in the fireplace tip was a real surprise to me. I never would have thought of doing that!
I thought insulating the fireplace was a good idea. I had a fireplace in my old house and never thought about it.
The think that the info on Insulation in the fireplace was very good. I never thought about doing that.
I learned that furnace filters need to have pleats in them, not be flat.
I learned that your heating and air conditioning unit needs maintenance once a year.
I thought the point about the programmable thermostat as very interesting. I had just assumed that anything would be better than nothing, so I was surprised to see there needed to be at least a certain degree difference for at least a certain amount of time
I find it interesting that the type of curtains you use can make your home more energy efficient
I had no idea that it mattered if your air filter have pleats or not. Interesting fact!
I think it was interesting that the front of your air conditioning unit looked fine, but the back was a different story. I would have never looked at the back either. Thanks for sharing!
Ceiling fans in homes with vaulted ceilings should remain on the summer setting at the lowest speed.
The tip about blocking the chimney flue with insulation is a really good one! I never use my fireplace, and in the winter, I can definitely feel a cold draft from the fireplace. I’m going to look into this one!
It’s easy to forget to get your AC serviced each year. I’m going to have to do that real soon.
Putting fiberglass insulation in the chimney is very interesting! I will have to keep that in mind for next year!
I learned about Furnace Filters – Make sure you are using furnace filters with pleats in them, not flat. They help to move the air better through your home
I thought insulating the fireplace was a great idea! We don’t use ours either and cold air does leak in.
Oh I loved the Insulation in the Fireplace! I have a fireplace that we really do not use either. In the winter I try to cover it as much as possible…never thought to put installation in! Great idea!!!
“Use curtains on the windows located on the west side of your home and tint them to provide extra protection from the sun’s heat” thanks for the tip! That suggestion was awesome!
I found it interesting that you should use furnace filters with pleats vs. flat because they move the air better. Never heard this before.
I didn’t know an attic fan might not be a good idea.
I learned that you should use furnace filter with pleats in them. I had no idea.
I never would have thought of putting insulation in the fireplace to reduce loss of AC and heat. It makes sense, though, since the fireplace is an opening to the outdoors.
I found it interesting that vaulted ceilings should never use the winter settings on your ceiling fans.
I love the information about how many degrees to turn a/c and heat up or down in the winter and summer for maximum cost-efficiency. Our central air always costs us so much!
I did notknow that Your AC and Furnace should be maintenance every year, at a minimum of every other year
I did not know that the attic fan caused issues in the winter.
I was surprised that you lost 1/3 ton of your energy efficiency just from the back of your A/C being dirty. Wow!
Make sure you are using furnace filters with pleats in them, not flat.
Learned to cover my attic fan with plastic during the winter
did not know about tinting windows on the west side of the house. thankyou, ken
Wow this is some awesome information. We just bought a home so these are very helpful to us and I love the Windows – Use curtains on the windows located on the west side of your home and tint them to provide extra protection from the sun’s heat
I didn’t know that the fan setting should be different for vaulted ceilings
I would never have thought about the builildup on the AC unit.
I think the door gap is an important point our old apartment door had a huge one that let all of our cold air escape during the summer!
I didn’t know to tint windows on the west side of the house. Thanks!
I live in Arizona and my biggest window faces west.. definitely good to know about the curtain and tinting. I always kept them open for my kitty to look out while I was gone!
I found your door gaps point interesting. We have the worst doors ever in our house and our house also has extreme temperatures. I am so glad we are moving soon!
I never realized you were supposed to change the ceiling fan settings. Whoops! I am hoping my fiancé already does it without telling me. Asking him in the morning!
I’d never thought about builildup on the AC unit. I’ll hve to check it out tomorrow.
I also never thought to check the back of the ac
I totally never think of the ac and furnace! They are so easy to overlook if they are working. Definitely got to get that call in
I thought it was interesting that your fan settings depend on your ceiling type: Flat ceilings in your home should use the winter settings and vaulted ceilings should remain on the summer setting at the lowest speed.
I didn’t realize I needed to have my AC and furnace maintenance completed every year… I think I need to start doing this right away.
I love that it will help you save money.
I learned that Flat ceilings in your home should use the winter settings and vaulted ceilings should remain on the summer setting at the lowest speed.
I didn’t even know they where a winter setting on a ceiling fan.
i didnt realize you should have your AC and furnace maintenance every yr. thats great info
I’ve never heard of putting Insulation in the Fireplace.
Didn’t know that furnace filters with pleats help move air better. Interesting seeing as how the furnace filters that come with some furnaces are flat.
I was really surprised by the temperature changes needed to save money with a programmable thermostat. I really need to speak with my husband about that. Thanks for the info.
Great information well presented. I learned if you have vaulted ceilings your fans should remain on the summer setting at the lowest speed.
i didnt know i wqs supposed to service ac and furnce every year…
AC needs to be checked at least once a year….my hubby changes the filters himself coz it cost if the company does….
“Your AC and Furnace should be maintenance every year, at a minimum of every other year.” Not something we’ve been doing. more like every three years. I had no idea.
Your AC and Furnace should be maintenance every year, at a minimum of every other year. Great information just had ours done this year and it was full of dirt they washed it out and said to keep plants trimmed around it tool.
Your information about AC maintenance was quite helpful. Most people think that yearly maintenance is not needed.
Good tip on insulation in the fireplace. I have 2 and never would have thought about it before. I will be trying this! Thanks
I never thought about putting insulation into the fireplace. Neat!
I found it interesting that you should never use the winter settings on your ceiling fans if you have vaulted ceilings. I did not know that nor did I know that you should maintenance your AC and Furnace every year. Thanks for sharing this helpful information!
I thought the difference in vaulted ceilings and regular ceilings was interested, I had never heard that before.
i dont have an AC unit so i wouldn’t have thought about having to keep the weeds away from it
I found the info regarding maintenance of the AC unit very informative
I did not know one should cover attic fans with plastic during the winter months to prevent cold air from coming in.
Using an attic fan!
I found the programmable thermostat the most interesting – my husband and I argue about the setting every time we leave for vacation haha
For a Florida Girl tinting the windows are a perfect idea.
I had no idea furnace filters should be pleated.
I learned I’ve been running my ceiling fan incorrectly for my vaulted ceilings!
Putting insulation in the unused fireplace would have never occurred to me.
I think the suggestion of tinting your windows was an interesting one that we don’t often hear about.
And St. Jude rocks!
I know now I need to put curtains on my west side of my home.
I never knew that about the fan settings with vaulted ceilings. My daughter’s bedroom has a very tall vaulted ceiling and her room is always uncomfortable – hot in the summer, cold in the winter.
I was surprised that the pros at Apex Heating & Air Conditioning told you that on vaulted ceilings you should never use the winter settings on your ceiling fans
great tips! with winter coming ill be checking my doors for gaps so cold air cant get thorough. i love idea of tinting windows. the sun in winter is just as harmful as in the summer. great ideas!
One thing that I learned from the post is that we should be using furnace filters with pleats in them, not flat ones!
never thought to check the BACK of the AC unit! Better get on that!
I’ve heard of putting bags of newspapers to block the cold from your fireplace, but I like the idea of insulation even better!
I didn’t realize that a dirty AC could have such an impact on efficiency!
I had never considered insulating an unused fireplace – that was interesting to read.
I like the information on checking the door seals. We can’t see daylight coming in, however, we can feel air on windy days. It is time we fix this issue before the winter. Thanks for the tips and reminding me. :)
What great tips! Thanks for sharing!!!
I actually have most of these tips on my to do list. Would live to get the ceiling fans lowered!
I thought it was interesting that AC should be checked yearly
I didn’t know furnaces should be maintained once a year.
Never heard the hint about changing the fan levels according to the kind of ceiling you have
I found the Insulation in the Fireplace tip interesting.
the door seals tip is interesting
I found the furnace filter pleat tip very interesting. I’ve never heard that one. Thanks for sharing!
AC and Furnace should be maintenance every year is a great tip!We live in a rental but if we do our own maintenance is taken off the rent and this is so important.
I did not know that your filter should have pleats. We always buy the flat ones. Thank you!
i found the insulation in the fireplace really interesting. something i wouldnt have thought of
I didn’t know pleated furnace filters were better than flat.
Great tips! Insulating your fireplace is a great tip if you aren’t going to use it. Some people just use them for looks but I am definitely a light my fireplace kind of person.
I fight this same battle every. single. day!
That’s awesome!
I had to laugh at your comment! LOL
I would have to say that I found the ceiling fans interesting… the summer vs winter use
These are all great tips. We do most of these! Yay us! :)
I have not visited the house yet for the St Jude giveaway. It would be so fun to win it while giving to a great cause.
That is very good tips about the fireplace and the tinted windows.
I think I need dh to read this :)
that the dirt on the back can affect the efficiency so much
I never knew to insulate the fireplace. Thanks for all of these great tips. We are always looking for ways to save.
I didn’t know that about the furnace filters. Thanks for teaching me about the differences there.
I have a new Trane and it is wonderful. Cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
We live in Florida and always gave issues. Some of the tip regarding ceiling fans and high ceilings was great.
On vaulted ceilings , you should never use the winter settings on your ceiling fans.
My electric bill is ridiculous. I need to try these tips to help!
I never knew the information about the programmable thermostats, I put my thermostat down 5 deg when i leave and thought I was doing a great thing
I realized that you should maintain it every year.
I didn’t realize that you should only use the Summer setting on ceiling fans with vaulted ceilings!
These are great tips. We just moved into a new house and i am unsure how it will be this winter. I am definitely going to put insulation in my fireplace. We do not use it so i might as well plug it up.
I had no clue that your a/c unit could lose so much efficiency because it was dirty!! Awesome giveaway!
I’m always looking for ways to save money and get more out of my house. These are great tips!
I thought it interesting that your air conditioner lost so much efficiency because it was dirty! A real eye-opener!
I never thought about putting insulation in our fireplace… we don’t use ours either, so I’m telling my hubby about this! Thanks for the tips!
I like the tip on putting insulation in the chimney of an unused fireplace.
Thanks so much for sharing these tips! I definitely learned a lot!
I did not know that the ac had to be checked yearly so that is one thing I learned. Explains why I always had problems. Thanks for letting us know. By the way for some reason when I first saw the man going into the chimney I somehow thought I saw a man stuffing a dead pig up there. haha. Anyways great giveaway.
That you can lose efficiency from you AC unit if you don’t clean it out regularly!
Not putting the ceiling fan on the winter setting was a good tip.
“Flat ceilings in your home should use the winter settings and vaulted ceilings should remain on the summer setting at the lowest speed.” Looks like we’ve been doing that wrong, too. Very interesting!
I like the tips on the programmable thermostat settings while away from home.
I found the tip about the settings on ceiling fans very interesting. I never knew that there was different settings.
I had no idea attic fans can make such a difference!
Now that I read about your AC, I think I need to get out there and check mine out.
I thought it was interesting that only flat ceilings in your home should use the winter settings. This is good to know!
We put in programmable thermostats and have saved a bunch of money. It’s amazing how much more efficient you can make your home with simple changes.
I am going to get the weeds away from my a/c unit
Not putting the ceiling fan on the winter setting if you have high ceilings was a good tip.
Great tips! We had an attic fan growing up, I wish more of the newer houses had them.
I like the tips from the pros you offered. Great ideas to remember!
We have never covered our attic fans before, so it’s a good suggestion. Thanks!
We need to do this!! Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful tips! Anything I can do to be more energy efficient I will do!
Great tips! I am in need of fixing my front doors weather proofing so that I can keep the heat in / out this winter.
Great tips! My husband invested in stand fans and it has cut our electricity bill substantially. Our home is so much cooler now (Yep, we’re in hot Texas!!)
I definitely could stand to make my home more energy efficient. Thanks for sharing these tips! I didn’t know not to use the winter setting on ceiling fans.
Ugh, I need to look at the back of my A/C unit and see if it’s all clogged with dirt and debris. I’ll bet it is. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for the info. We do not pay for gas and electric here, but we do hope to move in a few years so this is very helpful info. For now, I am just trying to train the hubby to shut the lights when he leaves a room! That job is proving impossible!
A few years ago we had our home entered into the county winterization program. They made our home more energy efficient for free.
These are all such great tips. If I could only get my kids to shut off the lights when they leave a room I would be in great shape.