What are the best improvements to make for home energy efficiency?

Question

I didn't want the question to drag on and on.....
but what are the most COST EFFECTIVE energy improvements!
I figured theres gotta be some people out there that can tell me what works and what doesn't!

And no, i'm not interested in replacing my air conditioning or hot water heater any time soon :-)

Answer 1

Yeah! I just watched a show yesterday on what you can do.

I think that you should find this in depth and helpful. Here you go.

Sealing Your House Envelope: Leaks & Insulation


Find and seal air leaks
Hidden air leaks cause some of the largest heat losses in older homes. Common air leakage sites include:
Plumbing penetrations through insulated floors and ceilings
Chimney penetrations through insulated ceilings and exterior walls
Fireplace dampers
Attic access hatches
Recessed lights and fans in insulated ceilings
Wiring penetrations through insulated floors, ceilings, and walls
Missing plaster
Electrical outlets and switches, especially on exterior walls
Window, door, and baseboard moldings
Dropped ceilings above bathtubs and cabinets
Sealing Options:
Caulk is best for cracks and gaps less than about 1/4" wide.
Expanding foam sealant is an excellent material to use for sealing larger cracks and holes that are protected from sunlight and moisture.
Use rigid foam insulation for sealing very large openings such as plumbing chases and attic hatch covers.
Fiberglass insulation can also be used for sealing large holes, but it will work better if wrapped in plastic or stuffed in plastic bags.
Specialized materials such as metal flashing and high-temperature silicone sealants may be required for sealing around chimneys and flue pipes.
Upgrade inefficient windows and doors
About one-third of the home's total heat loss usually occurs through windows and doors. If your existing windows have rotted or damaged wood, cracked glass, missing putty, poorly fitting sashes, or locks that don't work, you may be better off replacing them.
Windows in generally good condition: Probably more cost-effective to increase their efficiency by weatherstripping, caulking, and fitting them with storm panels rather than undergo the expense of window replacement.
Increase window energy efficiency by installing insulating curtains or drapes on the interior.
When replacing your home’s windows, buy new high performance models. Look for the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) label and choose a product with U-factor of 0.40 or less, Solar Heat Gain Coefficient of 0.40 or less, and Visible Light Transmittance of 0.60 or higher.
Make sure doors are in good shape. Weatherstrip around the whole perimeter to ensure a tight seal when closed. Install quality door sweeps on the bottom of the doors if needed.
Home Insulation
Your primary defense against heat loss through the house envelope is insulation. If there isn't any insulation, the best option is to bring in an insulation contractor to blow cellulose or fiberglass into the walls.
Adding insulation to an unheated attic is usually a lot easier than adding to existing walls. If there is no floor in the attic, simply add more insulation, either loose fill or unfaced fiberglass batts.
If the basement or crawl space is unheated, insulate between the floor joists instead of around the perimeter walls.
If the basement is heated and used, you need to insulate the basement walls instead.
Reduce Home Heating & Cooling Costs


Add PermaFrost (refrigerant additive) to all of your air conditioning systems (including vehicles), ice machines, food-service related cooling equipment. Patented PermaFrost has been proven to increase heat transfer, reduce compressor run time, save energy, and increase compressor life.
Keep exterior doors and windows closed when using your HVAC system.
Set your air conditioner thermostat to 78°F or higher – health permitting – when you’re at home.
Set our air conditioner thermostat at 85°F (or turn it off), when you’re away from home.
Install a clock thermostat to set your thermostat back automatically at night.
Purchase "energy star" air conditioning and other appliances wherever possible.
Clean or replace filters monthly during operating season. This enhances the performance and efficiency of your equipment.
Keep your HVAC system clean, lubricated and properly adjusted. This enhances the performance and efficiency of your equipment.
Use the thermostat factory setpoints. Leave the thermostat settings at 76°F for heating. Each degree of heating or cooling can cost an additional four to five percent in energy costs.
Check the refrigerant charge and fix leaks if necessary.
Get your central heating/cooling system’s ducts tested for air leakage. Up to 30% of the heated or cooled air is lost through leaky ducts. Properly sized, installed, and sealed ductwork will make your heating and cooling systems significantly more efficient, and your home more comfortable.
Replace your central natural gas furnace with a 90-94 Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rated unit.
Provide shading for your air conditioner. Use deciduous plants or exterior shading devices – shades, awnings or sun screens – to shade your home and windows facing south and/or west to block heat during summer months. Save up to 8% of your cooling costs.
Lighting


Replace existing incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). These lamps can save three-quarters of the electricity used by incandescents. The best targets are 60-100W bulbs used several hours a day. New CFLs come in many sizes and styles to fit in most standard fixtures.
Use hardwired motion sensors for indoor and outdoor lighting.
Use dimmer switches, timers, or motion sensors on incandescent lights.
Caulk windows, doors, pipes, and anywhere air leaks in and out. Use weather stripping around windows, doors and pipes.
Use ENERGY STAR® hardwired indoor and outdoor light fixtures. Low Cost Home Improvement Actions
Appliances


Turn off equipment and appliances – such as lights, televisions, stereos, DVD players, and computers – when you’re not using them.
Refrigerator: Give the unit breathing room, clean the coils, and don’t set the temperature too low. Fresh foods keep at 37 to 42°F, frozen foods at 0 to 5°F. Unplug your second refrigerator and/or freezer. Better yet, recycle it and get $35 in return!
Purchase a new energy-efficient refrigerator if your model was purchased before 1993. Older models use twice as much energy as new ENERGY STAR-labeled models.
Clothes washer/dryer: Do only full loads when using your clothes washer and dryer. Wash in cold water, or wash in warm water and rinse in cold water. Clean the dryer lint trap after each use. Check vent for clogging. Or, line-dry your clothes if possible.
Purchase a qualifying high efficiency ENERGY STAR clothes washer. It uses 50% less energy than a standard washer made before 1994, and less water, too. Rebates are available!
Water heater: Lower the water heater temperature to 120°F or "low" (140°F or "medium" if you have a dishwasher without its own heating element).
Replace your water heater if your model was purchased prior to 1994. Buy a gas water heater with an Energy Factor of 0.62 or higher. Buy an electric water heater with an Energy Factor of 0.93 or higher.
Dishwasher: Wash only full loads. Use the energy saver, air dry cycle, or if possible, open the door and let dishes dry naturally.
ENERGY STAR-labeled dishwashers save energy by using both improved technology for the primary wash cycle, and by using less hot water. Rebates are available!
Oven: Don’t preheat your oven. Cook complete meals of several dishes simultaneously in the oven. Use your microwave oven when possible.
Energy-Saving Tips for Cooking


When cooking small- to medium-sized meals, it is generally more efficient to use smaller microwave ovens, toaster ovens, or slow-cook crockpots.
If you have two ovens, use the smaller one whenever possible.
Crockpot save substantial amounts of energy. Use them for soups and stews that require long cooking periods.
Cconsider using a pressure-cooker for stove-top cooking. By building up steam pressure, it cooks at a higher temperature, reducing cooking time and energy use considerably.
Use the smallest pan necessary to do the job. Smaller pans require less energy.
Keep the burner pans (the metal pans under the burners that catch grease) clean and shiny so they will reflect more heat up to the cookware.
Use flat-bottomed cookware that rests evenly on the burner surfaces to increase efficiency of the burner elements.
With electric burners, you can turn off the burner just before the cooking is finished. The burner will continue radiating heat for a short while.
With gas burners, make sure you're getting a bluish flame; if it is not, have your gas company check it out.
Reduce cooking time by defrosting frozen foods in the refrigerator before cooking.
Keep preheat time to a minimum to with conventional ovens. There may be no need to preheat the oven at all unless you're baking breads or pastries.
Avoid excessive peeking into the oven. Each time the door is opened, a significant amount of heat escapes.
Food cooks more quickly and more efficiently in ovens when air can circulate freely. Don't lay foil on the racks. If possible, stagger pans on upper and lower racks to improve airflow if you're baking more than one pan at a time.
Cook double portions when using your oven, and refrigerate or freeze half for another meal. It doesn't take as much energy to reheat the food as it does to cook it-not to mention the saved preparation time!
Use glass or ceramic pans in ovens. You can turn down the temperature about 25°F and cook foods just as quickly.
Avoid overcooking meat by using thermometers and timers.
If you have a self-cleaning oven, use the feature just after you've cooked a meal; the oven will still be hot and cleaning will require less energy.
Keep the inside surface of microwave ovens clean to allow more efficient cooking. When possible, cook foods in their serving dishes to save time and reduce the amount of hot water needed for dishwashing.
Swimming Pool Energy Savings Tips


Use a swimming pool cover when you’re not using the pool. A cover controls water evaporation, keeps the pool warmer, and keeps the pool cleaner so the filter runs less often.
Swimming pool: Reduce your swimming pool water temperature and the number of months you heat your pool. Keep swimming pool cleaning and heating equipment clean.
Replace your single-speed pool pump and motor with a new two-speed or variable speed pool pump and motor.
Other Home Energy Saving Tips


Schedule an energy audit (ask your utility company or state energy office) for more expert advice on your home as a whole.
Collect your utility bills. Separate electricity and fuel bills. Target the biggest bill for energy conservation remedies.
In winter, open window coverings on sunny days to help warm the rooms. In summer, close them to help keep the room cool during the day.
Close the damper when not using your fireplace. Turn your heating system down when using your fireplace to prevent heated air from escaping outdoors.
Fix defective plumbing or dripping faucets. Water faucet drips cause water loss up to 212 gallons a month and hot water drips waste energy as well.
Buy a water-heater blanket, low-flow showerheads, faucet aerators, and compact fluorescents, as needed.

Answer 2

There are several ways to do this:
Replace your windows if they are more than 10 years old.
Check for any drafts in your home. If you find any you may be able to chalk the area or crack.
If doors are drafty you can purchase a door sweep cheap at the hardware store.
As for the hot water heater turn down the temperature to a lower heat setting. for the A/C keep it at a comfortable temperature not too cool like 78 degrees or so, and if your not home turn the A/C temp higher to 82 degrees. Good luck.

Answer 3

There's many things you can do to improve your energy efficiency. You can have replacement windows installed to reduce heat/cold conductivity, have insulation blown into your attic, if its already there have a 6" cap blown over it. If your walls aren't insulated have them insulated. Replace your doors or improve the seal around the door and the threshold. Install an attic power vent to draw the heat out during the summer to reduce your cooling costs. Use fluorescent light bulbs in everything, they make them for incandescent fixtures and they produce more light per watt than incandescent bulbs do.

Answer 4

Solar screens on windows. Programmable thermostat. Energy efficient light bulbs. Radiant Barrier in attic (Reflects the heat from the roof in summer and holds in the heat in winter) Weather proof your windows and doors to prevent drafts. Turn thermostat up to 79 in summer and 70 in winter.

Answer 5

Windows and roofs - they are costly but are first line of defense against the outside elements and will save you money in the long run on energy bills.

Answer 6

Call an hvac tech to have your home tested for leaks and drafts.This will show you where your trouble spots are and save you time in running down the causes.

Answer 7

Insulaition is a good one, but can be tricky for the beginner and a fire hazard if not installed correctly. Depending on where you live you can determine the R factor you need to have installed.

Answer 8

replace your windows with double pane wood windows and you will keep the energy effiency high