12 steps to save hundreds on your energy bill, included a great energy savings suggestion relating to the fireplace chimney flue.
Damaged fireplace damper
The problem
Ten to 20 percent of warmed air from your home can be drawn into the chimney flue, passing around a rusted, stuck, or loose-fitting damper.
How to spot it
With the damper closed, hold a lit candle inside the firebox and watch the flame. If it gets beaten around or blown out, air is flowing up the chimney.
How to stop it
Hire a chimney sweep. In addition to giving the chimney a good cleaning, lubricating and checking the damper is usually part of the $90 to $200 service call. In the off-season, when the fireplace isn’t in use, you can seal the flue completely with a balloonlike plug, such as the Fireplace Draftstopper ($55; batticdoor.com), that you inflate and insert up the chimney just in front of the damper. When cold weather starts again, simply deflate the plug for easy removal.
The payoff
Reduce your annual heating bill by up to $500.
