The ENERGY STAR web site gives an on-site assessment tool to rate your home's energy use. The site offers homeowners the top five cost-effective home improvements to save money, improve comfort, and to protect the environment.

Another excellent resource for residential energy savings is the U.S. DOE National Renewable Energy Laboratory publication, ENERGY SAVERS, Tips on Saving Energy & Money at Home. You can download it from their website.

Two simple, yet very effective measures homeowners can take to reduce energy bills:

1. Purchase a water heater blanket: With its heat reflecting insulated material, it can save approximately 20% in heating costs. A one-size-fits-all blanket will fit all heaters up to 72 gallons and can be used on any gas or electric unit. Water heater blankets are not expensive and can be bought in many stores.
2. Landscape with trees, shrubs, or vines around your home: Besides the aesthetic benefits to your property, well-placed trees can actually save up to 25% of a typical household's heating and cooling costs. Trees provide shade and evaporative cooling to reduce air temperatures. Tree-shaded neighborhoods have been found to be 3 to 6 degrees cooler in the summer. Planting deciduous trees around the south perimeter of a house give protection from summer sun but allow the winter sunlight to reach and warm the house. Vines are excellent for shade and cooling when planted near windows or even an entire side of a house. Evergreen trees and shrubs planted on north and west sides of homes provide helpful wind breaks in the winter and deflect summer winds if planted on south and west locations around your home. When choosing trees, consider height, growth rate, branch spread and the shape as important factors.

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