Seal your fireplace from draft

Your fireplace acts like a big chimney...OK so that may seem obvious but do you really know how much your leaking up there? According to the Department of Energy, a lit fireplace sucks about 24,000 cubic feet of furnace heated air up the chimney every hour. This sounds dramatic but, the real problem is how much is sucked up 24/7 right through the damper. And if that wasn't bad enough in most fireplaces there is a vent in the back that allows fresh air in to help feed the fire which is usually left open.

There are many solutions to fix this problem and they all depend on what your willing to do and or live with. Probably the easiest is to shove some insulation up the flue and close the vent in the back. This works fine if you never use the fireplace. If it is a gas fireplace then simple framed glass door unit will probably do the trick. But if you plan to burn wood, you probably want something a little more accessible when you do have a fire going.

We get these questions all the time. The only quick answer is one of hydronics wizard Dan Holohan's favorite replies: "It depends."

The most useful answers can be given if the questions tie into the broader context of getting the most from the whole water-heating system. People already know they should look for energy efficiency from the heater itself. But additional savings can be found in water distribution, equipment sizing and selection, and maintenance.