The Draft King Single Flue Black Painted Galvanized Steel Chimney Cover goes right over your flue and prevents anything from getting inside your chimney. This product has a 24 gauge single piece galvanized steel hood, a 14 gauge galvanized steel base and an 18 gauge 3/4” expandable galvanized steel mesh, so it’s a sturdy and durable cover. This design can fit several different sized flues, and it mounts on the outside.

This hood will prevent basic fire safety issues, and it will also finish off the look of your chimney. Please note that an aluminum or painted-black galvanized steel cover shouldn’t be used if you burn oil, coal or wood/pellets all year round for your source of heat.

The Desk Warmer is a convenient space heater that can be mounted right onto your desk. Since it’s positioned under your desk, it will keep your feet and legs warm, which will also help the rest of your body maintain a comfortable temperature. The heat can be controlled by a high/low switch, and it has a 100 watt outlet.

Its dimensions are 16” H x 22” W x 2” D. If it’s too large or impossible to fit under your desk, you can purchase a stand that is sold separately. If you have a home office as well as an off-site location, you might want to consider getting two, especially if you want to prepare for the winter season.

South- and west-facing sunrooms need more ventilation, because they receive the most direct sunlight. North- and east-facing sunrooms are often pleasant in the summer but chilly in the winter.

A simple solution to get more air ventilation in the summer is to install side-opening windows. Supreme Sunrooms & Windows Ltd. sells 28mm double glazed windows with the new Low-E glass standard. Opening the windows and turning on the ceiling fan can create more air circulation.

Another option is thermostat-controlled roof vents, which open or close throughout the day in order to maintain a controlled environment. Active Ventilation Products, Inc. has an Aura Skylight Ventilator that draws air out without any moving parts. This is a more eco-friendly roof vent.

Don’t worry–eco-friendly doesn’t mean boring or clunky looking. Just check out the EcoSmart Zeta fireplace.

Named for the Greek ‘origins,’ the elliptical-shaped Zeta fireplace is “A clever fusion of timber, leather and stainless steel, the fully portable Zeta sits on a brushed or polished stainless steel swivel base. The plywood body of the fire is shaped from a high frequency heated aluminum mold into the perfect elliptical shape. A thin stainless steel firebox insert is molded to the internal face of the plywood, and the outer surface is upholstered in leather. The toughened glass screens that sit either side of the fire enhance the stunning visual effect created by the flame.”

It’s available in different leather colors such as Ciocolatta, Nero, Ranch Hide and Latte. The fireplace is considered eco-friendly because it’s fueled with denatured ethanol, an renewable energy source.

EcoSmart

The Bionaire Electric Fireplace is kind of a glorified space heater, but if you like the idea of dancing flames (and you live in an apartment or house that didn’t come with a real fireplace), this unit could provide some ambiance. Let’s face it: it’s more fun to curl up with a book in front of a fire (fake though it may be) than on top of a heat vent.

The wall-mounted electric fireplace comes with a few features you don’t get with your traditional wood-burning hearth. These include a remote control, a programmable digital display, a thermostat, and “tip over and over-heat protection.” There’s no need to worry about a spark flying out of this and setting the house on fire.

$299 at Amazon:

Bionaire Electric Fireplace Heater

The only problem is… a lot of people are a bit mystified by their programmable thermostats. It’s believed that as many as 80% of folks who own them don’t use the programmable features.

Hey, we can’t all be techno-stars, right?

Well, there is a computer program you can get that is supposed to make the whole process a lot easier.

The EcoConcierge is compatible with most Honeywell digital thermostats, and it lets you program the settings through the Internet with a simple question-and-answer format. What time do you get up? What do you want the temperature set at in the summer? In the winter? Etc.

In addition to using the software to save energy with your programmable thermostat, you can sign up for some of the company’s other home monitoring features such as automatic sprinkler systems, lighting, and home security systems.

The cost runs $400 to $600 installed.

A door fan is a simple device that can help improve air flow from room to room.

This time of year, it’s common for folks to fire up the wood stove or gas fireplace, which is good at heating the area directly around the unit but less useful for whole house heating. Interior door fans can help move that warm air to some of the other rooms in the house.

An example is this EntreeAir model.  The $45 door frame fan tucks unobtrusively into the top of the doorway and is supposed to be “a safe, efficient and effective way to circulate warm or cool air from room to room” that “operates for pennies a day.”

From Earth Tech Products

Infrared heat works similar to the radio waves the sun gives off to heat a person’s body when they are outside on a clear day.  Infrared heaters, such as the ones by SunHeat, use radio waves to heat an internal copper element, and then a fan blows air over the hot copper to redistribute the heat into the room.

An infrared zone heater is supposed to save up to 50% over electric forced air heating systems, and it can warm up to a 1,000 square foot space, from floor to ceiling.

Infrared zone heaters don’t dry out the air or release chemicals or pollutants.  They are safe to use even in rooms where you wouldn’t typically put a space heater (such as a bathroom).

Solar hot water heaters are common in many parts of the world but have been slow to catch on in the U.S. That’s likely to change in the future, however, as energy prices rise, so it makes sense to make the conversion when it’s possible.

Water heating accounts for 15% of a family’s energy bills, and every 3.5 gallons of water heated with a conventional electric heater creates more than two pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

If you’ve got an unshaded, south-facing location on your property (many people use their roofs), then you can install a solar hot water heater. Though installation costs are higher than with electric water heaters, the free solar energy pays for itself within five years, and in many areas federal tax credits are available when you make the upgrade.

If none of those solutions work for you and you’ve got the money to have something custom built, you could invest in hand-crafted wood radiator covers that blend seamlessly into a room’s decor.

The handsome angled mahogany radiator cover here looks so much like a window seat that you wouldn’t even guess that there is a heater underneath. It’s the work of John Carlton Custom Woodwork & Furniture, and something like this will cost you $2,200.