Do you have a real working fireplace that goes totally unused? Many homes do, especially ones that are older and may have a broken damper inside the chimney. If fixing your fireplace is too cost-prohibitive, try this inexpensive energy-saving solution instead: Get a chimney balloon. This is an inflatable plastic pillow that is made with a very strong poly plastic. It inflates and creates a tight seal inside your fireplace. When you want to use the fireplace, it easily deflates, and it’ll inflate again and again, too.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

If you have a window air conditioning unit that you cannot remove when not in use during the colder months, consider investing in an insulated cover for it. Home improvement stores have specially made covers that fit snug on the inside and exterior part of the air conditioner. They are waterproof and tough (so they can withstand the elements), but they also block cold drafts from blowing into your house. These covers pay for themselves over time in energy savings.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Invasive insect species have been wiping out tree species all over the country by creating serpentine tunnels inside the tree, making them weak and susceptible to breakage and death. In Pennsylvania, the emerald ash borer insect is close to wiping out more than 300 million ash trees. If a tree does fall on your property and you decide to turn it into firewood, use it only at your own home. Do not share infected wood with neighbors, and especially don’t bring it if you go camping. It is actually illegal in some places to move any firewood from trees, logs, limbs, branches and roots from state to state.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION