Originally Posted by John Galt

This winter is a good wake up call to make your house more 'energy efficient'.

Sealing air leaks, especially in top floor ceilings around plumbing stacks, electrical fixtures and chimneys, and around the main floor rim joist in the basement will save the most energy. Most American houses waste about 1/3 of the heating energy in uncontrolled air leaks that also make the house dry, uncomfortable and unhealthy. The ideal winter indoor humidity is 35-40%. Another major leakage area is around windows and doors between the frame and the wall stud. Spray foam is the best material for airsealing.

The next best way to reduce wasted energy is to make the heating system more efficient. Have burners tuned for maximum efficiency. If you heat with oil consider upgrading to a high efficiency [85-87%] 'retention head' burner like a Riello. If you heat with gas then a high efficiency [92-95%] condensing furnace or boiler is a very good investment.

Insulation upgrades should always start with the least insulated components. Exposed concrete basement walls are a huge heat loss, especially above grade to 2ft below grade. The best insulation in this case is rigid foam board on the outside. Animals have their fur on the outside for good reason.

These recommendations come from the experience of hundreds of energy audits in Canada's cold northern climate.