Everybody wants to save money. With energy costs rising all the time, improving the performance of your home is a great way to do it. But it’s amazing how much money people will spend on new windows and doors in the interests of energy efficiency – not realizing that there are plenty of low and no-cost options that will save them much more. In fact, while there are plenty of situations where new windows make sense for aesthetic or comfort purposes; it’s very rare that they would provide a return on investment in terms of energy savings.

Changing habits costs nothing

Before investing in expensive improvements, the first thing to address is usually the way you use your home. Do you run ceiling fans effectively? (By dispersing warm air from the ceiling, a ceiling fan can help make a room feel warmer.) Do you have a programmable thermostat, and do you use it? Do you have family members who turn the thermostat up and then lounge around...

There’s never been a better time to invest in energy efficiency and renewables for your home. With State and Federal tax incentives, and generous utility rebates, you could get as much as 65 percent of a project paid for — slashing payback times by more than half. But it’s a confusing world out there — here’s the lowdown on what’s available.

Under the Federal Stimulus Plan, the government increased the amounts you’re eligible to receive for some efficiency improvements and renewable energy systems. Here’s what it means to you:

• The new program runs through 2010.
• 30 percent tax credit with no maximum for wind turbines, solar (hot water or PV) and geothermal systems.
• 30 percent tax credit up to $1500 for qualifying Water Heaters, Furnaces, Boilers, Heat pumps, Air conditioners, Building Insulation, Windows, Doors, Roofs, Circulating fans used in a qualifying furnace.
   

There are a...

TV, radio, and “weekly shopper” ads for replacement windows and doors, HVAC systems, and insulation are on the rise since the announcement of the recent energy efficient tax credits. All these things may be great ideas for your home too, but how do you know? If you call a window company, they’ll probably try to convince you that you NEED new windows. If you call an HVAC company, they’ll probably try to convince you that you need a new HVAC system. If you call an insulation company…..guess what? So how do we know what our home can best benefit from? What will give us the best return on our investment? Get an energy audit!

Hiring a professional energy auditor to provide you with a clear path to getting your home more efficient can save you from wasting money up front, increase your return on investment down the road, and solve those comfort issues you have been living with since you moved in. They work for you. They may do some of the work...

Getting Started
Ever wonder what is Geothermal? Do you try to change the subject if someone says the word, in an effort not to seem eco-igno. Maybe you associate all things geo with the rock collection you had as a child. Or perhaps could you expect to track seismic readings from the mechanical room in your house? What does the ground have to do with the heating and cooling system in your house anyway?

Here is the skinny on the environmental counter culture know as geothermal

It's all Greek
The word Geothermal is derived from the Greek words Geo (earth) and Therme (heat). Yes it’s that simple. Take the heat from the earth and move it into your house or business. The ground maintains a constant temperature all year around at about 60 deg. F. This is warmer than the air in the winter and cooler that the air in summer. So by using this favorable temperature difference you can greatly reduce the cost of your...

The warm spring weather is here. You may be heading out doors to enjoy the welcome change of season before the hot summer arrives. After enjoying the out doors you come in and hit the air conditioning and all is well. Or is it?

You may wonder if your air conditioning seems to be working well “why fix it if it aint broke?”

Mother Nature may be pulling the wool over your eyes as you enjoy the nice weather. She has also been hard at work since last cooling season to leach your system of performance. So the real reason for a spring tune-up is to maintain proper operation and efficiency of your air conditioner. Tune-ups can not only help protect your investment directly, by maintaining the moving parts, they also help you to get your money’s worth out of the electricity the equipment uses. As technology pushes the efficiency of systems higher it becomes increasingly more important to maintain the health of the system. One big factor involved...