Historic windows are often a "pain" in the pocketbook because they're literally a pane; a single pane of glass is all that protects homeowners from the weather outside, be it hot summer sun or cold winter nights.

With so many allergy causing particles in the air outside, allergy sufferers often retreat indoors, not realizing that their home can exacerbate instead of alleviate the runny nose, itchy eyes and sneezing.

When it comes to looking for power drains around the house, the best thing to do is to consider age. Old appliances, especially the large ones, don't run nearly as efficiently as newer ones.

Geothermal heating and cooling systems are a modern application of an ancient principle. Anthropologists speculate that one of the reasons that our prehistoric ancestors lived in caves was simply that ground-based dwellings were far more temperate than above ground homes.