With the rising costs of fuel in the United States people’s wallets aren’t only taking hits at the gas pump, but they are also taking hits on their home or apartment utility bills. However, there is good news for the energy consumer. The United States Department of Energy has reported that window treatments such as cellular shades can reduce energy waste and therefore energy costs by some 20 percent each year. The average family can save around $325 per year on energy costs by using energy efficient window coverings. Nowadays you have to save as much money as possible to…

Vinyl siding is the choice of many homeowners and builders due to its durability, long life, and ease of installation. Unlike painted siding, it does not require repainting every four to five years, making it an essentially maintenance-free and economical choice over a long term. Simple cleaning or power washing on a yearly basis is all that is needed to keep this siding looking like new for many years. Vinyl siding has improved greatly from its beginnings, resisting fading and warping like the earlier products were known to do. It is also now available in a vast range of colors…

A home should be an environment that is comfortable in both the hot, summer months and the frigid, cold temperatures of winter. However, heating and cooling your home so that it is comfortable during these extreme temperature periods can get to be quite expensive. If you aren’t careful, you can rack up a huge energy bill during the winter or summer months without even realizing it. Heating and cooling a home requires so much energy, so sometimes consumers can become devastated at the amount they pay at the end of the month. However, there are ways to save money on…

Air conditioners are some of the home appliances that homeowners need to keep their homes comfortable. However, they are also some of the home appliances that raise the energy bills in your home. Buying an energy efficient air conditioning unit is therefore necessary if you want to keep your energy bills at a manageable level and still keep your home cooled. The following is a short buying guide for buying an air conditioner. First, decide whether a ducted air conditioning unit or a split wall hung air conditioner best suits your home. Ducted air conditioners best suit large houses with…

How energy efficient is the various types of cooktops? This is a question that everyone wants the answer to when they are shopping for cooktops. While most of the newer models of induction, electric and gas cooktops have acquired the Energy Star rating, some are still more eco-friendly than others. The key is to find the balance between your needs and those of the environment when shopping for cooktops. An appliance is not truly efficient if your productivity is decreased. Induction cooktops are some of the very energy efficient types of cooktops on the market today. Because induction cooktops use…

A recent paper by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy listed ten programs that spurred companies and customers to economize energy. The findings certainly show that behavioural programs can be astonishingly effective. Improving energy efficiency is an important topic on the program of most organisations these days. The benefits are numerous, from lowering carbon footprint to the most outstanding of all cutting down on costs with energy. So million dollar question is: How to enhance business energy efficiency? There are many ways to do so but this is not quite what I want to talk about in this column….

As a roofing contractor in the state of Wisconsin, I continually field requests for light colored (reflective) roofing for the purpose of energy efficiency. A white or light colored roof will reflect sunlight, keep the building cooler, and reduce energy consumptionCorrect? It depends on where you live and the insulation value of the building. Most roofing material comes in a variety of colors. EPDM (rubber) membrane, for instance, is a very common low slope roofing material that comes in black or white. In the case of EPDM, the white color is much more expensive. Many consumers will justify spending more…

Few of us will deny that being dependent on foreign oil supplies is undesirable. But it is not widely known that available oil supplies worldwide are dwindling, which drives the need for alternative ways of meeting our energy needs. While there is still a lot of oil in the ground, much of this is becoming harder and more costly to extract. The term “peak oil” describes the concept that oil is a limited resource and at some point the available oil supplies will become less and less. According to some sources global oil consumption already outstrips viable new oil sources….

There is nothing as comforting as a toasty fire on a cold winter night. Frigid, outstretched fingers absorb the heat emanating from the fireplace. While most homes offer heat in one form or another, energy costs may make you think twice before turning up the thermostat. You can improve your comfort and make your home more energy efficient this winter by checking for air leaks and inspecting your heating system to ensure it is working properly. In addition, you can improve your energy efficiency by using electric fireplaces with an electric fireplace insert featuring patented flame technology. Look for highly…

While many in Washington still warn about the dangers of carbon emissions and climate change, the reality and perhaps the one thing that experts on both sides agree on, is that Americans are paying less attention to global warming than they have in the past. To end this uncertainty, the Senate after months of behind the scenes maneuvering will begin the debate on the critically important legislation which could help American consumers, businesses and the federal government to save millions of dollars each year by using less energy, and using less energy will be a step forward in the fight…