You can go on a diet without counting calories and logging crunches. In fact, instead of spending money to get in shape, you will save money by putting you home on an energy diet. Fortunately, reducing the extra energy a home eats up is often easier than eating less and exercising more. And if you use something like Home Performance with ENERGY STAR(R), your home–whatever the size or style–can be improved to use up to forty percent less energy while increasing a home’s comfort, health and safety.

Environmentally, a home energy diet helps reduce pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. Nationally, twenty five percent of the U.S. energy bill comes from household use. When homes use more energy than necessary, more carbon dioxide is released while producing that power. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), carbon dioxide is the primary contributor to global warming.

Ask your contractor if they particpate in the “Home Performance with ENERGY STAR” program. The contractors that participate in the program are accredited by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) and use state-of-the-art equipment to help pinpoint the source of excess moisture, heat loss and air infiltration. Your contractor will produce a detailed report showing recommended improvements and potential energy savings. The report shows an assessment of the insulation, windows, doors, heating and air systems, and ductwork.

There are four major areas that you and your contractor need to focus on–these areas can contribute to the most energy loss in your home:

1. Proper Insulation
2. Windows and Doors
3. Your Heating and Cooling System
4. Properly Sealed Ducts

Proper Insulation
Whether the home is old or new, inadequate or improperly installed insulation can lead to high energy costs, uncomfortable rooms, and structural problems. Insulation is measured by R-value, which is its resistance to heat flow. The greater the R-value, the greater its effectiveness in slowing heat loss and maximizing energy efficiency and comfort, keeping you warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. BPI accredited contractors will perform a blower door test, measuring how much air is leaking out of your house and identifying where those leaks are. In addition, many BPI accredited contractors have infrared cameras to help identify lack of insulation in walls.

Windows and Doors
Windows and doors can lose as much as 15 percent of the total heating energy in a typical home. The primary cause of the heat loss is not through the glass, but rather through the frame. Proper installation of insulation and caulking will reduce the amount of cold air leaking through the frame. If windows need to be replaced, consider U-value and Low-E coatings. U-value is the measure of the window’s ability to insulate. Lower U-value means less heat flows through the glass. Low-E (low emissivity) window coatings are thin and transparent, permitting visible light to pass through, while effectively reflecting radiation and keeping your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. As part of the assessment, BPI accredited contractors use a smoke stick to identify cracks or gaps within or around the windows.

Your Heating and Cooling System
The tell-tale signs of an improperly functioning heating and cooling system include varying temperatures from room to room, a house that is too hot or too cold overall, or stuffy or clammy air. BPI accredited contractors will not only look at the efficiency and sizing of existing systems, but also test fuel-burning equipment like fireplaces, water heaters, dryers, ovens and furnaces for proper venting to avoid harmful gases like carbon monoxide from building up in a home.

Properly Sealed Ducts
Leaking ducts can decrease the overall efficiency of a heating and cooling system by as much as 20 percent. Properly sealing the leaks in a duct system can boost efficiency and lower energy bills. BPI accredited contractors have special duct testing equipment to measure and pinpoint where air is escaping. They can seal up the air leaks and test again to ensure that the home has just the right amount of airflow to keep you comfortable and safe.

There are also several steps that can get the energy diet off to a good start, even without making significant home improvements:

Pay Attention to Your Chimney – Close the chimney flue damper when you’re not using your fireplace. This will keep warm air from escaping through the chimney. An open damper can let out up to 8 percent of your heat.

Keep Everything Clean – Replace furnace filters at least once every three months and make sure to have oil-fired furnaces and boilers professionally cleaned and checked once a year by a BPI accredited contractor participating in Home Performance with ENERGY STAR. Gas heating equipment should be checked every other year. Maintain your home’s air conditioning equipment by replacing or rinsing air filters monthly and having the system checked for proper refrigerant charge once a year.

Also, keep registers, baseboard heaters, and radiators clean and unobstructed by furniture, drapes and carpets. This will ensure better heat circulation.

Dusting makes a difference. Make sure there is some breathing room around your refrigerator so that heat can escape easily. Give the coils in the front and back a dusting to keep them running efficiently.

Use Energy Star Products – Use ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light fixtures and bulbs. ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures and bulbs last up to 10 times longer than standard incandescent models and use two-thirds less energy. Lighting products that have earned the ENERGY STAR label generate about 70 percent less heat than standard incandescent lighting, which means they’re cool to the touch and can help reduce energy costs associated with cooling the home.

Replace Lighting Fixtures – By replacing a home’s five most frequently used light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ENERGY STAR qualified fixtures and bulbs, a household can save more than $60 a year in energy costs. The home’s five most frequently used lights typically include kitchen ceiling dome light, living room table lamp, living room floor lamp, bathroom vanity light and outdoor porch or post lamp. Additionally, lights in hard-to-reach locations require changing less often when ENERGY STAR bulbs are used.

Choose other ENERGY STAR qualified products. Only those products meeting the high efficiency standards of the U.S. EPA and Department of Energy (DOE) can earn the ENERGY STAR label. Look for the ENERGY STAR on heating and cooling equipment, windows, clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, room air conditioners, dehumidifiers, TVs, VCRs, computers and other home electronics. These various products can use up to 50 percent less energy without sacrificing the features, quality and convenience you want.

Check Your Thermostat – Install a programmable thermostat. To conveniently adjust the temperature of your home at certain times of the day, replace your thermostat with a programmable model. When used properly, an ENERGY STAR qualified programmable thermostat can consistently control your home’s temperature and save energy and money.