Home Buyers Tackle "Greenhouse" Effect by Saving Energy

Here's a friendly message from your Department of Energy: You and your fellow Americans are spewing hundreds of billion of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Worried? Whatever you think about global warming, you've got to hate paying utility bills. Wasted energy costs you money.

Home buyers should consider the advantages of an energy-efficient home--it can save you big bucks and make you more comfortable year round. If you're having a new home constructed, ask the builder about installing energy-saving features. More homeowners are refitting existing homes to be more energy-efficient, too. Here are features home buyers should look for:

• Insulation. Proper insulation cuts down on both heating and cooling costs. Check the insulation levels in the attic, side walls, and crawl spaces. Insulation offers the additional benefit of noise control. Fiberglass insulation is an excellent acoustical material that helps to keep outside noise out, and reduces household racket inside the home. Kitchen and bathroom racket especially can disturb occupants of sleeping rooms. Make sure that both the interior and exterior walls are well insulated. The Department of Energy has recommendations for adequate insulation levels.



• Weatherization. Many older homes leak warm air like a sieve. Air leaks around windows and doors can account for up to 30 percent of a home's wasted energy. Proper caulking and weatherstripping can help increase energy savings by up to 10 percent.



• Storm Windows and Doors. Storm windows and doors can cut heat loss at those sites in half. Double- and triple-glazed windows are even more effective. If you want to know more about windows, stop by a window dealer for some free brochures.



• Passive Solar Energy.  Be a Sun Worshiper. The sunlight that falls on one acre of land can generate enough energy to heat and cool 80 average homes. Passive solar homes, with lots of large, south-facing windows, can have more than 80 percent of their heating needs supplied by solar energy - even in cold, cloudy climates.



• Energy-Efficient Appliances. When installing major appliances, compare the Energy Guide labels on competing models. In the long run, an energy-efficient appliance will be a more economical purchase. Switching from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs can cut electricity used for lighting by as much as 75 percent.



• Green Up That Yard. Strategically planted landscaping in your yard can help reduce your energy costs. Deciduous trees - those that drop their leaves in the fall - are best planted in front of sunny windows, to help block hot sunlight during the summer. In the winter, sunlight will filter in to warm your living area. Hardy, low-lying evergreens and shrubs planted close to the foundation of a house slow heat escape during the winter, and reduce heat entry during the summer.