I was happy to find this little gem in April's issue of Working Mother magazine. "Home Green Home", written by Theresa Gonzalez, is chock full of information on how to adapt your living space into a more energy efficient dwelling. What I found most informative was that Ms. Gonzalez chose to highlight the most effective solutions for all income-levels, so even if you're not rolling in the dough you can still make some simple, inexpensive changes that will have a great impact.
Some of Ms. Gonzalez's suggestions include wrapping your water heater in insulation, blocking drafts with weather stripping and replacing your thermostat with a programmable model. These are inexpensive changes that even renters (like me) can employ without worrying about making permanent structural changes that can be time-consuming and costly.
However, if you do own your own home and are looking to implement those larger structural changes, among the typical upgrades of adding solar panels or an overhaul of your HVAC system, Ms. Gonzalez offers the idea of hiring a home energy auditor. The one-time fee can range between $250 and $600, but they can pinpoint exactly where your home is wasting energy. Gonzalez claims that fee is recouped within the first year, post-repairs.
http://www.workingmother.com/BestCompanies/green-mom/2011/03/home-green-home
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