Wednesday, November 4, 2009

How GREEN are your kids?

As you would teach your children to share their toys or how to pitch in with household chores, you also need to teach your children how to be friendlier to the environment. Instilling these habits in children helps them to grow up to be more eco-chic adults and can only help to make the world a better place to live.


Lead by Example
You know your children imitate your actions and the actions of others, so use this to your advantage in a positive way. Make sure your children see you doing green things and that you point them out to the kids when you’re doing them. Take the time to explain why you’re doing it and how it helps the environment and the people living in it.


Eat Green
Rather than buy pre-made or pre-packaged foods, feed your children homemade meals instead. Even baby food can be made at home rather than buy jars of baby food that uses glass, aluminum and paper. Not only is eating homemade food generally healthier for your kids, but it’s also healthier for the environment.

Green Toys & Books
Buy chemical and additive free toys for your kids. It’s better for their health anyway. You can also find books that have stories and actions that are all about environmentally friendly things or show the characters participating in things that are good for the environment. This is another form of lead by example. Older kids can read articles you find online or in newspapers and magazines that you read.


Introduce them to Nature
No matter where you live in the country, you are surrounded by nature. Make sure that you introduce your kids to the environment and what all of your green efforts are saving. Hike nature trails, take them to the zoo or the local natural history museum. When you go to the beach, talk about sand erosion and the efforts the community is making to protect barrier islands. Volunteer with your kids to clean up a local beach, highway or other areas.

Make Recycling a Family Affair
Buy some plastic bins and chalkboard paint. Paint a small area on the front of each bin with your child. Use a piece of chalk to write glass, plastic, cardboard, newspaper, etc., on each bin. This makes it fun for you and the kids, as well as organizing your recycling efforts. Take your cloth bags to the grocery store with you when you shop. Go over with your child what is recyclable and what isn’t. Make as much of what you do as possible an avenue of awareness for your child on how they can make a difference. Teaching your child to be green and a friend to the environment is a series of lessons similar to all of the other life lessons you instill in them as they grow. It starts with you. Instill these Earth-friendly habits in your children as soon as possible and throughout their life. It will make them greener adults and make their community a better place to live.

Photos courtesy of: greenkidsfun.com, forkids.ca

Friday, September 11, 2009

Green Office Ideas

In no particular order here are some of the most important actions:

  1. Switch off all lights when not in use (especially at night, weekends, holidays)

  2. Turn off all IT equipment and other electrical appliances when not in use
  3. Make sure all electrical items are switched off at the power point when not in use for extended periods

  4. Disable screen savers as they often use more energy than less

  5. Make sure the heating and cooling are not set too hot or too cold

  6. Walk, ride a bike or take public transport to work

  7. Teleconference or use GoTo Meeting rather than make unnecessary trips

  8. Strive to operate a paperless office
  9. Install a water filter instead of purchasing bottled water
  10. Recycle everything you can

Please click here to go to the BizCheck page to learn more about saving money, developing new business and greening your business.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The Small Business Office Solution


An Irish Company, Tepui who is focused on Sustainability Strategies and Design is developing a co-workspace 'Hub,' something definately worth considering. A pay-as you go shared work space with a creative and collaborative community buzz is just what so many of us are missing.

'The Dublin Hub' is a flexible, affordable, shared working environment for freelancers, small businesses, the self-employed, and home-workers looking for a desk, or a meeting space in town. Members book time in the Hub in advance - similar to buying mobile phone credit - they have the freedom to choose when to work and are charged solely for the time they spend in the Hub.

"We hope to attract inventive, innovative, socially committed, ethical and environmentally aware people, people who need to take their ideas out of the garden shed or away from the kitchen table, says Erik van Lennap of Tepui. We aim to provide a vibrant, dynamic, collaborative, exciting atmosphere, a place people will want to be in and be part of. We think this is an essential response to the challenges posed by changing work patterns in the new century."

Due to current economic times, many very talented individuals have been laid off and many those people are not satisfied or fortunate enough to sit at home collecting an un-employement check. To that end, there is a magnitude of new start-up businesses that are looking to make their mark in their industry. The co-work space solution is an excellent opportunity to place your business in a vibrant setting with a potential to be a great networking environment.



Images provided by: csmonitor.com

Friday, June 12, 2009

Are you really living GREEN?

So, you just purchased your new Prius, and you faithfully recycle your aluminum cans. You are bragging to the neighbors about doing your part for the environment. But are you really living green inside your home?
1) The obvious, easy, and most common green thing to do is recycle plastics and paper. But did you remember to include your toothbrush in your program? Did you know that 50 million pounds of toothbrushes hit the landfills every year? Astonishing!

2) Take your own bags to the grocery store. Carry a green reusable bag, or save your plastic bags for the following trip. Worldwide we consume one million bags per minute. The Wall Street Journal quoted that the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they break down into small toxic bits.
3) Buy in bulk and save packaging. Not only will you save fuel by making fewer trips to the grocery store, you will also consume less packaging material. Though you should watch out for multiple small items packaged together that masquerade as ‘bulk’. A recent poll of grocers revealed that bulk foods have increased in sales volume about 10 percent over the past 12 months.

4) Heat only the space you occupy. If you rarely use the guest bedroom and guest bath, close the vents in these rooms until just prior to the arrival of your guests.
5) Dress warm in the winter. Don’t turn up the heat, put on a sweater. If your wife (whose always cold) is wearing shorts in December, then the thermostat is set too high.
6) Install a programmable thermostat. Oh yes, and program it.
7) Is your TV running 24/7? If you are not watching the TV, turn it off. If you need the comfort of the TV to rock you to sleep, then set the timer to automatically turn the TV off.

8 ) Replace your incandescent lamps, with compact fluorescent lamps, they burn far less energy. But beware; you must recycle CFL lights as they may contain mercury. The good news is that all Home Depot stores in the US and Canada offer CFL recycling.
9) Solar hot water systems should be on every home. There is nothing like a hot shower in the morning to get you started. Try installing a solar water heater to take advantage of the natural energy of the sun.
Solar hot water systems are highly efficient and low cost.
10) Install ceiling fans in every room. You can reduce the AC temperature, and the room will still feel cooler when the fan is running.
11) Using eco-friendly hand soap and dish soap can help to protect fish and wildlife.
12) When your spouse decides to add
painting to your honey-do list, you should only buy low VOC or no VOC paint. VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds are found in most latex and oil-based paints. These toxins are released into the air when the paint is applied.
13) People love the smell of a new car. But in the case of a new home or newly decorated room, that new odor may be the smell of a toxic VOC called 4-PCH or phenylcyclohexene as it is released from your new carpet. To avoid this hazard, purchase a low VOC or no VOC carpet.
14) Take the time to locate green furniture manufactured from recycled materials or recovered wood. You can purchase tables, chairs, kitchen cupboards, bookshelves, lamps, and even a wooden clock.

15) Use rechargeable batteries to keep dead batteries out of landfills. According to a study by Uniross, rechargeable batteries have 32 times less impact on the environment and use less then 1/23rd the natural resources of their disposable buddies. Using a solar charger is the absolute greenest choice, eliminating the cost of electricity and the pollution associated with generating it.



Summary:Just think how much farther we can take our green living and save the planet for our children and future generations.

Some text courtesy of: Green by Design

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Remodel Green - Save Money and the Environment

Now that the housing market is in the tank; many of us who hoped to be 'Moving Up' find ourselves looking at our existing homes as a re-investment. Remodeling your home will increase it's value in the long run and doing it with green minded materials and products is good for the environment and may actually save you money in the long run as well.

Not sure where to begin??? Try attending an event like this and ask questions.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Last Week's Tips to Live Green

Tip # 1 Why Recycle?
a. In the United States right now, landfills are filling up and closing at the rate of approximately 2 a day.
b. A glass bottle thrown away today will still be there in the year 3000.
c. In the United States, one in every six trucks in a garbage truck.
Check out Trash People in Rome!



Tip # 2 Don't Top-it Off
Topping off at the gas tank wastes fuel by releasing fumes into the atmosphere and creates air bubbles in the gas which burns less efficiently.Other fuel saving tips can be found at About.Com:Cars



Tip #3 Smart Irrigation
Promotes healthy and attractive landscaping by improving watering efficiency with new “Smart” technologies such as smart irrigation controllers, a device that gives your plants the right amount of water for the time of year, climate and weather and rotating sprinkler nozzles, that can water your landscape better using 20 percent less water. Use these technologies together for the most savings!





Photos courtesy of Enzo D, Trek Lens, Rain Bird

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Today's World must end. Tomorrow's is yours for the making.

A loveable but slightly dim polar bear and an angry penguin demonstrate the importance of water efficiency and the issue of climate change. To the soundtrack of ‘Human After All’ by Daft Punk, and using celebrity voice-overs of Terry Christian and Coolio, this film portrays an important message in an amusing and captivating style.
Utilising a unique and technologically advanced form of animation called ‘Performance Capture’. This allows the background to be filmed as live ‘real life’ images, whilst the actors precise movements create the CGI characters.




Written by Emily Webber, Samantha Pickles, Jen Robinson, Karen Turley, Sarah Butler of Liverpool John Moores University.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Last Week's Tips to Live Green

Tip # 1 Be a Green Shopper
Avoid individually packaged items. Even though the individual sizes do seem more convenient, they also produce more waste with their packaging than the larger sizes. You can buy the larger sizes and then divide up the food at home in reusable containers to avoid the excess garbage.
Tip # 2 Paper or Plastic
While plastic takes less energy to produce than paper, and produces less pollutants, paper can be composted, while plastic cannot. So what is the right answer? When bagging your groceries, bring your own string or cloth bags that can be reused.
Tip #3 Bottled Water
In the U.S. alone, we use 1.5 million barrels of oil each year just to create plastic water bottles, and only 12% are recycled. Bring your own water from home in a reusable bottle.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Going Green at the Office



While in the past many people were not thinking about the environment, especially at work, increased awareness of the importance of conservation and saving the environment has even made business owners begin to take a second look at practices they can change to improve the environment. If you haven’t considered how your business is affecting the environment, it may be time to consider what you can do to operate a little greener. Today it is becoming more and more popular to go green at the office and it is relatively easy to use great policies at work that can help the environment and make your business more successful as well. Not sure where to begin? Well, here are a few tips to help you out.


Tip #1 Go with Green Vendors: If you want to go green at your office, it’s going to be important to go with green vendors for your needs. Find out if vendors have green policies of their own in place already. Each vendor your use, such as your office supply company or even the bank you use should have green policies to help with the environment. Find out which businesses do use green policies and then support them and their choices by giving them your company’s business.



Tip #2 Make Donations: Another thing that you can do to keep your office environmentally friendly is to make some donations. All the pens, phones, books, computers, and other supplies that you have at the office that are no longer being used can be donated. You’ll find schools, libraries, charity stores, and nursing homes will be glad to take them off your hands. This way someone else can get some use out of them and you won’t be throwing them away.



Tip #3 Purchase and Plant Trees around Your Business: Trees are great for helping the environment by releasing oxygen into the air. Why not plant some trees around your business. Perhaps start an initiative at your office for people to earn their “own tree.” You may even want to set a special day aside for planting some trees. This will be great for the environment and it can be excellent for your business promotion as well. Purchasing some small saplings should not be all that expensive to do, and consider even using these trees as awards or incentives in the office instead of paper certificates.



Tip #4 Put in Electric Hand Dryers: Many businesses go with paper towels in their bathrooms, and this promotes the use of natural resources that could be saved. Instead of using all that paper, why not invest in some electric hand dryers for your bathrooms. This will save on using paper towels, and not only is it great for the environment, but it is also going to be cost effective as well, since you’ll save quite a bit on the cost of the paper towels.



Tip #5 Go with Recycled Products: There are a variety of different recycled products that you can use for your business that will help you in your pursuit of going green at the office. Some of the recycled products that you can use include recycled paper goods, recycled toner and printer cartridges, and even recycled plastics. You should recycle yourself, and also use recycled products as much as you can.



Tip #6 Purchase Personalized Coffee Mugs for Your Employees: How many Styrofoam cups do you go through a day at the office? If you have many coffee drinkers in the office lounge, more than likely you go through quite a few. Why not go ahead and purchase some personalized coffee mugs for all of your employees. This is a great gift that you can offer and they’ll be able to use their mugs over and over again instead of having to actually use Styrofoam cups, which are not great for the environment.



As you can see, there are many things that you can do that can help to improve the environment. Going green at the office is actually a lot easier and cheaper than you probably thought it would be; in fact, it can even save you money in the long run. So, if you’re ready to start taking care of the world you live in, consider using these tips at the office to make it as green as you possibly can.




Article Source by Bennetta Elliott, CEO Personalized Gift Express


Photos Courtesy of Alladin, Devono, Cubeking


Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Last Weeks Tips

Tip # 1 Unplug and Save
In the average home, up to 40% of all electricity is used to power home appliances when they are turned off. a. Unplug your electric toothbrush and save 22 pounds of CO2 per year. b. Unplug your microwave and save 34 pounds of CO2 per year.
Tip # 2 Cold Water Washing
Most loads don’t need hot water, and 90% of the energy used by washing machines goes into heating. The higher the water temperature, the higher the cost to you and the planet.
Tip #3 Pay Bills Online
Paperless billing not only saves trees; it also eliminates the fossil fuels needed to get all those billing envelopes from them to you and back again.

Friday, February 20, 2009

How to Go Green in Hard Times


You want to cut your carbon footprint. But you can't wait years for a payback. Here are 10 ways to help the environment -- and save money.

I found this article in the Wall Street Journal, it's obviously focused more on the East Coast, but has some very relavent topics.

It's tough to be green when money is tight.

Lots of big environmentally friendly changes look good in theory, like buying solar panels or switching to a hybrid car. The trouble is, many of those fixes take years to make back their cost -- and most people can't afford that luxury in these tough economic times.

The good news: There are plenty of energy-saving changes you can make that will recoup their cost fast. Some are cheap and simple, like replacing the air filters on your central air conditioning. Others are costlier and more complicated -- such as insulating your attic -- but they're so effective they'll pay for themselves quickly.

We've chosen 10 changes and laid out how much they'll cost you and how much they'll save, as well as the payback time. In most cases, it's less than a year or two.

High-Tech Thermostats
Programmable thermostats make it easy to preset a week's worth of temperatures -- and give you much greater control over energy bills. For instance, you could program the gadget to lower the temperature when everyone's asleep, something you might forget to do on a nightly basis.
COST: $50 to $150.
PAYBACK: About a year, assuming the thermostat controls both heating and cooling.
How'd we arrive at that figure? We turned to a calculator on the Web site for the Department of Energy's EnergyStar program. The tool shows you how much these advanced thermostats will save you. (One caveat: The estimates assume you have natural-gas heat and electric central cooling.)
Let's use the calculator to look at two cities -- Fargo, N.D., where electricity rates are low but where lots of heat is needed in the winter, and Las Vegas, which has higher rates and needs lots of cooling in the summer. And let's say you use the thermostat to make modest temperature changes at night, lowering it to 62 from 70 in cold months, and raising it to 82 from 78 when the weather's warm.
In Fargo, the thermostat would save you about $115 on heating and cooling annually -- so you'd make back the cost within a year if you spent $100. In Las Vegas, you'd save about $75 and make your money back in a little over a year.
What's more, some utilities will install the thermostats free in exchange for letting them scale back your central air-conditioning use remotely on hot summer days. Many utilities also offer rebates on these devices.


Sealing Air Leaks
Filling in the gaps around windows and doors, and sealing up ducts, can be a simple way to cut energy bills.
COST: Weatherstripping that goes under and around external doors runs $20 a door. With windows, you insert caulk between the frame and siding, wherever the air is going through, at a cost of about $10 a window. Then there's an often-overlooked source of air leaks: the electrical outlets on exterior walls. These can be fixed with outlet sealers, which cost under $10 for a pack of six.
You can do all those fixes yourself. But you often need to hire someone to seal heating and cooling ducts. The job will usually run from $300 to $1,000, depending on the size of your house.
PAYBACK: About two to three years -- but there are lots of variables.
The source for our payback information, the Environmental Protection Agency, doesn't estimate energy savings from individual sealing fixes. If you do them all -- plus add insulation in some spots -- the agency estimates you will save up to 20% on your heating and cooling, or up to 10% of your total energy bill. That figure assumes a three-bedroom house with insulation in the walls and attic, among other variables.
Let's say you pay about $1,000 for a soup-to-nuts weatherproofing job. In Springfield, Mont., where homes need lots of heat in the winter, you would save about $325 a year, covering your cost in a little under three years. In Tallahassee, Fla., where homes take lots of air conditioning, you would save about $520, for a two-year payback.
One more caveat: Those figures, based on a study by Memphis Light, Gas & Water, assume you use 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 20,000 cubic feet of natural gas a month. And some utilities and states offer rebates and tax incentives for these fixes. Austin Energy, for instance, offers to cover 20% of the cost of weatherization, as well as energy-efficient appliances and other purchases.

Low-Flow Fixtures
Low-flow showerheads and faucets limit the volume of water you can get out of the fixtures, reducing the amount you spend on water -- and on electricity or gas to heat the water. Although the technology is improving, you'll still feel a difference in water pressure.
COST: Low-flow showerheads start at around $30, while faucet aerators cost $2 and up. Both are simple to install.
PAYBACK: For aerators, almost immediate. For showerheads, a few months.
We used a Department of Energy online calculator to compare standard fixtures with low-flow models that pump out 1.5 gallons per minute. In Baltimore, which has high utility rates, investing a few dollars in a new faucet would save you about $50 a year on your gas and water bills (or $65 if you had electric water heating). New showerheads would save you about $115 total with gas heating or $160 with electric -- for a payback of several months.
In Chicago, which has below-average gas rates, a new faucet would save about $40 a year with gas heating and $65 with electric -- an immediate payback. New showerheads would save about $90 with gas heating and $165 with electric, recouping your cost in several months.
In addition, several utilities offer rebates for buying low-flow fixtures.

Leasing Solar Panels
Buying and installing a set of solar panels can cost tens of thousands of dollars. But leasing the same system can be a cost-effective alternative.
Several companies—most of them in California and a handful of other states—will install solar panels on your property, then charge you for the power the panels generate. Essentially, the company owns the panels, and you "rent" them by paying the cost of the power. That rate is often lower than your regular utility rate. (In Oregon, the rate's the same, but people often choose the panels for environmental reasons, according to Lyndon Rive, chief executive of solar leasing company SolarCity.) You'll also have to pay your utility for power when the panels aren't generating any electricity, such as nighttime. But you'll be paying much less than you ordinarily would.
COST: Sometimes nothing. Many companies don't charge an upfront fee for the panels, and their plans promise to reduce your total electric bill immediately by about 11%. Consider a typical plan for condominium owners from Applied Solar LLC. The company says its arrangement delivers savings of $15 per month on a total electricity bill, or $180 a year, for an owner in San Diego Gas & Electric territory who used to pay $135 per month and is buying solar from a 2-kilowatt system.
However, some companies do charge an upfront fee, often $2,000 to $5,000. In some cases, that fee is considered a prepayment on the solar-power portion of your bills -- so you end up paying less for that power every month. In other cases, the fee doesn't lower your monthly bill; it's simply a down payment.
PAYBACK: Immediate, if you pay no upfront fee. If you pay a fee that lowers your rates, payback can take a while. Let's say you prepay $2,000, which some solar companies say can save you an extra 10% a month on your payments for panel-generated power. In a typical case, that translates into saving $25 a month on your total electric bill, or $300 a year -- for a payback of seven years.
If your upfront fee is just a down payment, though, the payback time is much longer -- because you don't get any extra discount on your bill. Assuming you save $180 a year with the panels, your payback time on a $2,000 down payment would be about 11 years.

Air Filters
When the air filter in your cooling system or air-conditioning unit gets dirty, the system has to work harder to get the air through, using up more energy. In warmer climates, the filter should be changed three times per year, says John Schinter, president of energy and sustainability services at Jones Lang LaSalle Inc., a real-estate project-management company.
COST: New filters cost about $10 each for central systems. Window-unit filters can simply be wiped clean.
PAYBACK: Less than a year in warm climates for central units. Immediately in all climates for window units.
Keeping the air filter clean saves about 7% in electricity costs a year, according to Mr. Schinter. So, let's say you're in a warm climate like Texas and you spend $30 changing your central-air filters every year. According to the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration, the average cooling bill in Texas is about $620. Figuring a 7% savings, you'd slash your electric bill by about $45 -- covering the cost of the filters in less than a year. (Cleaning the filter on a window unit, meanwhile, would cost nothing and save about $20 a year.)
However, in cooler climates, more frequent filter changing won't save enough money to make it worthwhile. In New York, with an average annual cooling bill of $250, the savings would only be about $15 a year.

Compact Fluorescent Lights
These advanced bulbs use up to 75% less energy than regular bulbs, and they last about six to 12 times longer. Experts say that replacing regular lights with CFLs can be the cheapest, most effective way to get big savings on energy bills.
COST: About $3 a bulb.
PAYBACK: Three to 7½ months.
We used an online EnergyStar calculator to figure savings for one 13-watt CFL that replaces a 60-watt incandescent light, used about four hours a day. In New York, a state with relatively high electric rates, the bulb would save about $1 in energy costs per month, covering the cost of a $3 bulb in about three months. In Nebraska, a state that has one of the cheapest rates in the nation, that same CFL would save about 40 cents a month, covering the cost in about 7½ months.
Lighting Motion Sensors
Although they're more common in commercial buildings, motion sensors that automatically turn off lights when a room isn't occupied can offer big energy savings in a home. They're particularly useful when installed on outdoor lights, which are often left on all night.
COST: Many porch lights have built-in sensors and cost about $50 to $60.
PAYBACK: Under a year. Assuming the light would have been left on for 12 hours through the night and is now off all that time -- except for brief moments when someone approaches the door -- a sensor will save about 1.8 kilowatt-hours over the 12-hour period and 54 kilowatt-hours in a month. In an expensive state like New York, that would come to about $10 a month in electricity costs, making the payback time a little over five months. In a cheaper state like Nebraska, the motion sensor would save about $5 a month, making the payback time just over 11 months.

Window Treatments
Blinds, shades or curtains do more than decorate -- they can also cut cooling bills in summer and heating bills in winter. If you have lots of windows that face south and west, even inexpensive curtains or shades can help block sunlight and reduce the need for air conditioning. Hanging somewhat more expensive shades on all windows can provide even more insulation against outside temperatures in both winter and summer.
COST: Inexpensive pull-down blinds that provide summer shade run $5 to $10; curtains that promise greater insulation typically sell for as little as $30 and can run as high as $150.
PAYBACK: From just under a year to almost four years, depending on a host of variables.
Mr. Schinter calculates that putting shades on southerly or westerly facing windows can reduce your cooling costs by 6%. For an average 2,000-square-foot house with 12 windows, covering the six south- and west-facing windows will cost about $45. So, in New York -- with an average cooling bill of about $250 -- you'll save about $15 with inexpensive shades, for a payback of about three years. In a warmer climate like Texas, you'll save about $40 and recoup your costs in a little over a year.
Insulated curtains, meanwhile, curb losses from air conditioning and heating. Let's say you spend about $50 each on the curtains for all 12 windows, for a total of $600. Using figures from the Energy Information Administration and the nonprofit Alliance to Save Energy, we figured you'd save about $170 a year in New York, with a payback of 3½ years. A similar home in Texas would see a slightly longer payback period.

Smarter Water Heating
Drain-water heat-recovery systems warm up water for your shower by capturing the heat from waste water as it travels down your drain. (You can also get the systems for dishwashers and other appliances.)COST: $500 to $700, plus $100 or so for installation.PAYBACK: Around five years, assuming you heat your water with natural gas and pay fairly high rates. If you use electricity, payback can be under three years. And if your utility offers a rebate for installation, as many do, that payback time can be less than a year in some cases.According to an online calculator from National Resources Canada, a government agency, these systems can save 183 cubic meters of natural gas a year -- assuming your household takes four showers a day that last seven minutes each, and uses standard shower heads.In New York, where natural-gas rates are fairly high, you'd save about $120 per year. In five years, you'd save about $600 -- enough to cover a $500 system and $100 installation. In states with lower rates, the annual savings might be lower, and the payback longer.Meanwhile, National Resources Canada says households that have electric water heating can save 1,478 kilowatt-hours per year with these systems. In New York, that translates into about $225 a year -- or a payback of a little more than 2½ years.And, of course, rebates can cut down that time. For example, Minnesota Power, a division of Allete Inc., is offering a $400 rebate through the end of February for customers with electric water heaters who buy a system.

Attic Insulation
It's well known that insulating attics can reduce the amount of heat escaping through the roof. But many attics, especially in older homes, still have too little insulation -- or none at all.
COST: About $500 to nearly $700 for an average 2,000-square-foot house; less if the attic already has some insulation. That doesn't include installation costs, which can vary widely.
PAYBACK: A year and a half, but it can vary depending on the climate, cost of insulation and other factors. Installation costs can also boost the payback time.
Properly insulating a house can save up to 25% on heating and cooling costs, according to numerous experts. An average household in New York will spend about $1,700 on heating and cooling a year. Insulation -- which is pricey in New York -- will bring a savings of about $425, with a payback of about a year and a half.
Graphic Courtesy of GreenOfficeProjects.org