Attic sealing is a solid strategy for preventing energy from leaking out of your attic and moisture from leaking in. Even if your home is adequately insulated (many Metrowest Boston homes are not), precious conditioned air can still seep through the insulating material.

New England winters can be brutal and unforgiving. Lately, Mother Nature has thrown some hard punches in our area and we can never be sure what's ahead. So, it's best to start preparing now for the cold weather season. By doing a few energy-savings actions now, you can be prepared for the worst and keep energy costs as low as possible.

Here are a few tips that will keep the cold out, the heat in and your energy savings high. Check your home's:

Your home's insulation is an effective barrier against heat infiltration in summer and heat loss in winter. Proper landscaping can boost insulation, by helping it maintain indoor air temperatures. With fall an ideal time for planting, here are a few tips for improving the power of your home's insulation and reduce heating and cooling costs:

Today, many HVAC systems are no longer manufactured with the older Permanent Split Capacitor (PSC) motors, and instead use the new Electronically Commutated Motors, or ECMs. Motors are used in furnace fans, condensers, and air handlers, and HVAC systems with ECMs use less electricity and, therefore, get better energy savings.

The goal to save energy in your home is a worthwhile one that will surely result in lower energy bills and a smaller carbon footprint. Here are a few steps you can to take to draw up a strategic energy-savings plan.

Your “heating load” refers to how much energy your furnace has to create to keep your household warm. And there are many factors that influence the heat load. While you can’t control them all, you can certainly have a big effect. Here are a few ways to lower your heating load and save on energy costs this winter.

It’s easy to take charge of winter heating costs, even if rising gas prices are out of your control. Take advantage of many ways you can reduce your heating bills that cost little or nothing to implement:

Whether air is heated by your furnace, or cooled by your air conditioner, in most systems it passes through the furnace to cycle through the blower. The blower is the component that forces warm or cool air into your ducts, giving it the power to circulate throughout your house.

In the HVAC industry, the term "heat gain" is used to describe environmental conditions that raise the indoor temperature, thus forcing your air conditioner to work harder to cool down your home.

Are you looking for ways to lower your energy consumption? Before you can make energy-saving changes that will reduce your annual utility bills, you need to determine where the energy you're using actually goes. According to the federal Energy Star program, here's the energy bill breakdown for an average home: