Around this time of year, a lot of people (at least in the USA) turn their attention to their taxes. Its the wonderful time when all your expenses and income gets examine and run over with a fine tooth comb. Its also when people realize that they can take deductions or get credits for things they never knew about. In this first article of a series, we’ll look at possible tax credits for buying/installing a new furnace for your home.

If you’re in the market for a new home, you might want to consider looking for one that uses energy more efficiently than your current home.
In order to do this, you need to know how much energy your home currently uses. (If I could make a recommendation, check out the Energy Audit kit at http://www.energyaudits.net…shameless plug.) This kit will tell you how much energy you use currently.
Anyway, the kit also contains a “home buyer’s checklist” which outlines what you should look for in your next home (or apartment). But here’s …

There is a natural tendency for people, especially Americans, to always opt for the biggest and best air conditioner they can possibly afford. The going thought is, the bigger the unit (as long as it fits in the window), the better it will work. It will cool the room faster, and thus use less energy.
This isn’t the case.
A professional knows what the homeowner doesn’t. In this instance, the right sized air conditioner should be selected for the room it will be placed in.
Under most circumstances, the btu, or cooling power, …

The number one cause of air condioner problems is compressor failure. When this happens, a professional needs to contacted to replace the compressor. However, many other air conditioner problems are a little simpler and easier to troubleshoot.
But a dirty filter can make the unit behave like there is a compressor problem. When the filter is dirty and air flow into (and our of) the unit is severly limited, in most air conditioners the compressor will not turn on. This is because there is insufficient circulation for proper efficient operation. And …

This is a loaded question and unfortunately is one I can’t answer without a lot more information. I can break it down for you as best I can generically and let you plug in the numbers yourself.
First, understand that all furnaces are not created equal. Some are energy star certified, some aren’t. Some are high efficiency units, some are not. Some are old, some are new. Some are sized correctly for the living space, some are not.
Let’s take the variables one at a time. First, I’m going to assume that …

The elections overshadowed a press release by Energy Star announcing a settlement with LG, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of appliances and consumer electronics. That’s a pity because the settlement sends an important message to manufacturers. It also reveals how valuable LG thinks the Energy Star endorsement actually is.
Recall that Consumer Reports (and Home Energy almost a year earlier) found that LG refrigerators were designed to either circumvent DOE test procedures or were tested in such a manner that led to a much lower energy use than what would …

Believe it or not, there is a program out there called the Energy Efficient Mortgage, or EEM for short. Not all lenders will recognize this, but this appears to be a federally backed program that helps buy homeowners and buyers finance and improve their home’s energy efficiency – which in turn boosts the assessed value of the home.

Think of it as a home energy efficiency lab that is not run by a government agency…
I’ll be investigating and actively experimenting with easy, do it yourself ways for every home to save money on energy bills. All the reports that come from the lab will include costs and approximate savings, as well as raw data – so you can make the most informed decision possible.
Of course, if you have anything you might want me to look into, or check out on your behalf, feel free to send me a …

If you live in the United States, the Government requires that appliances have an energy guide, which is a yellow decal applied to the appliance that tells you about the efficiency and energy usage of the appliance.
Compare energy guides when shopping – you can potentially save a lot of money by purchasing an appliance that uses less energy.
Yes, but what is the Energy Guide exactly?
Well, the Energy Guide program was started by the US Government to test the energy efficiency of various appliances. It attempts to set baselines for energy …