I own a to story apartment in the northern section of the country. Cold Winter seasons are the norm in this part of the country. My utility costs have increased dramatically each Wintertime. I wondered if our heated gas furnace & Heating, Ventilation, & A/C plan was entirely working less efficiently. I called the number of the local heating & cooling expert to help myself and others understand what is the error. The Heating, Ventilation, & A/C serviceman headed out to do the normal seasonal maintenance & diagnose any complications. The Heating, Ventilation, & A/C tech thoroughly tested the entire gas furnace. I was thrilled to learn that the headed gas furnace nor the rest of the Heating, Ventilation, & A/C was to blame. But I was confused why it was costing myself and my family so much more to warm up our home. The Heating, Ventilation, & A/C tech asked us if they could check the attic. I didn’t understand since the Heating, Ventilation, & A/C device was located in the basement. The serviceman & I went to the attic. He looked around the entire attic for nearly twenty minutes. I didn’t realize when he said that I was a victim of the stack effect. The Heating, Ventilation, & A/C tech explained that home love mine fall victim to the stack effect quite often. The problem isn’t the Heating, Ventilation, & A/C system. The real problem is heat escaping through the roof. Heated air comes out through leaks in the roof which in turn draws frigid air from outside through leaks in the rest of the apartment. The Heating, Ventilation, & A/C serviceman recommended that I add more insulation in the attic. He also demanded I seal drips in the roof structure. The stack effect was what had been robbing myself and others of hot air. I now truly understand how to lower those energy bills.