30 Down-and-Dirty Tricks for Big DIY Savings

Boost fireplace efficiency so that your furnace doesn't have to work as hard. A radiant grate lifts logs off the floor, allowing air to circulate around them for a better burn. A hearth reflector sits in the back of the fireplace and directs heat into the room rather than the masonry.

Cost: From about $95 for the grate and about $140 for a steel reflector at Grate Wall of Fire.

Savings: About $240 a year in reduced heating fuel bills.

Bonus: Toastier fires to cozy up to.