Weatherize and Seal Your House

Heating your house or other building is one of the biggest energy consumers; however, with certain improvements, you can use less energy to heat your house. 

Add more insulation to need less energy. You will save in the long term by needing a much smaller heater appliance and spending less energy to heat your house. Insulation is in the floor, walls, and ceiling. A green roof with plants growing on it provides insulation and looks good. Cellulose is another good option for insulation, since it is a natural material (wood/paper), and you blow it in, which fills all the gaps and spaces better than the batts (pads).

Seal your house well so there are no leaks of heat. You can wrap your house in a material that prevents air leaks, but if you want to improve your existing building, you can test for air tightness and then fix any leaks found. Use caulk and weather stripping to fill in any gaps or holes. 

Replace your windows with double pane windows because these will not lose as much heat.

If you are building a new home or building, you can implement these strategies in the design phase, but you can also remodel an existing building to make these improvements. Simply add weather strips around doors and caulk areas where there are holes.
You can hire an inspector to do an evaluation of your home and provide recommendations. HERS is one standard in rating your home’s energy efficiency.