You love cozy-ing up by the fire on a cold winter night. But do you love the cold chill you get every time you get near the fireplace?
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A professional energy audit is helpful, but expensive. Our multi-part series on how to perform your own energy audit will save you money on the audit and on your monthly energy bills.
A damaged fireplace damper can suck up 10 to 20% of warmed air if the damper is not functioning properly. The damper is what stops warm air from escaping up the chimney flue. A rusted, stuck or improperly sized damper could be costing you money.
How to identify a damaged damper: With a closed damper hold a candle flame in the fireplace. If the flame of the candle begins flickering or goes out, air is going up the chimney.
How to correct: A chimney sweep. Hiring a chimney sweep is the only way to correct it and have a functioning fireplace. In addition to identifying a way to correct the damper issue, they will clean and lubricate the chimney. In the off season, you can plug the problem and seal the flue with a balloon-like plug. Simply deflate it when you are ready to use again.
Correcting a damaged damper can save you up to $500 in your annual energy expenses. That, plus enrolling with IDT Energy can really cut down on your annual energy expenses.
For more energy saving tips check out the other post in this seris of DIY Energy Audits, Drafty Windows and the IDT Energy Facebook page.
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