• To reflect the heat of the sun away from your house, install white window shades or drapes.

• Take a good look at your home and family's lighting needs and look for ways to use sensors, timers or dimmers to reduce your electricity usage.

• Don?t let ?stand-by? mode drain your pocket. When TVs, computers and other electronic devices are turned off but are in stand-by mode, they are still using electricity. Plug all these electronic devices into power strips so that they can all be turned off at the source with one flip of a switch.

• Don?t wash partial loads of laundry or dishes; make sure your loads are full before you set your washer going.

• Instead of using your clothes dryer, consider hanging clothes out to dry.

• Look for Energy Star rated light bulbs, home office equipment, appliances and electronics so that you know the items you use every day meet strict efficiency guidelines set by the US EPA and the US Dept of Energy.

• Regularly replace filters on furnaces and air conditioners so that they are running efficiently.

• Defrost manual defrost freezers and refrigerators so that they are working efficiently; frost build-up in these appliances can decrease the energy efficiency of the unit. Use the rule of thumb that frost build-up of over of an inch is the time at which you should defrost.

SOURCES: EnergySavers: Tips on Saving Money & Energy at Home, Yahoo! Homes: Cut costs with energy-efficient windows

The Problem:

It's one of the biggest concerns for homeowners who are contracting a company to complete a service or job on their home: figuring out whether they received fair pricing, or were completely ripped off.
Although the internet is a hub for useful information, the details homeowners need are rarely consolidated into one spot. Houzz.com is consistently solving that problem with their ever-evolving and popular website.

The Solution:

Recently, Houzz has taken their game up a notch in usefulness, by releasing their new consumer-friendly tool called the ?Houzz Real Cost Finder.? It utilizes data from surveys of over 100,000 homeowners in order to give people an idea of what their project could potentially cost, according to what metro area they live in.
With this tool, homeowners may just find a little more peace of mind when employing their local replacement window contractor or kitchen remodeler, by knowing just a little more information.
If You're a homeowner in need of new windows, doors, siding, a new kitchen, new flooring, you name it, check this tool found at http://www.houzz.com/remodeling-costs.

You will be presented with the percentage of people in your area that hired a professional to complete the specified project type, the average home value of those completing the project type, and the average household income for those completing the project. Finally, you will see the average cost of that project type in your area. Happy searching!

Secure and custom front doors that provide additional insulation from the weather outside

A gorgeous custom system of French doors to patio areas.

Sliding glass doors to open onto a new patio or deck that will make a room feel much larger.

Storm doors with windows to protect against harsh weather, including wind, rain and snow.

Along with all these options, we can offer many different materials for these doors, including classic wood, fiberglass and even energy efficient steel. You can choose the color of the door to match your home or complement it along with other, more unique options that even include dog door installation!

Have you been looking for a way to improve the look of your home without spending a whole lot? You can make quite an impact on the curb appeal of your home by just changing one thing in the exterior of your home: your front door. By choosing an entry door with windows, you can give your home an elegant make-over that won?t cost you a whole lot, but it can make a world of difference to how your home looks from the street. Choose a color for your entry doors to complement or contrast with your home's siding and you have an entry door system that will be the envy of the neighborhood!

To create an energy efficient home, we recommend following these bits of advice:

These tips can help You'reduce energy loss in your home, decreasing your energy bills each month while using less energy. Replacing old and drafty windows is the best way to create an energy saving home because space heating in your home accounts for 45% of your energy bills. With old and inefficient windows, energy is literally going out the windows.