Mention the words “energy efficiency” to the typical homeowner, and the specter of sticky weather-stripping and leaky solar collectors from the Carter era comes to mind. But countless mainstream efforts are now unfolding across the country — a hint that a new era has dawned. Real progress is finally being made in reducing the fuel and materials we use in our homes, without necessarily forcing us to move to a yurt. This has caught the attention of everyone from Brad Pitt (who is pushing for green construction following Hurricane Katrina) and Mikhail Gorbachev (who is Chairman and founder of Global Green). While I’m not exactly ready to take my place next to them in the Mt. Rushmore of environmentalism, I do have a few thoughts that can help ordinary homeowners (that’s you and me) increase the energy efficiency of our homes.

Waste is the biggest enemy of an environmentally friendly house, and hot water usage ranks as the biggest waster of all. You can use less hot water, by, say, putting a limit on your teen-ager's 30-minute showers. More effective would be to tackle the problem at the source: Your water heater. The average water heater gobbles up about 20 percent of your energy bill, and for what? Most of the time, it’s simply storing hot water, and keeping it hot, in case you happen to turn on the faucet. Some 50 to 60 cents of every dollar you spend heating water is lost because no one has turned on the faucet. You couldn’t create a less efficient system if you tried. There is an alternative, however, in the form of a tankless water heater, such as those by Bosch (boschhotwater.com). These heat water “on demand” — that is, when you turn on the faucet — which spares you having to store 40 gallons of hot water every second of the day, even when you’re at work or on vacation. The water heaters are expensive, costing about $500 or more, compared to about $300 or so for a conventional one. But they use less about 10 to 30 percent less energy to operate, and in addition they can be eligible for federal tax credits of up to $300.

Your windows and doors rank as the area of greatest energy loss. If you were to add all the cracks together, you would end up with the equivalent of a giant hole in the side of your home. By replacing the drafty single pane windows with new thermo-pane windows you can increase the energy efficiency of that opening by up to 70 percent. Replacing the windows in your home can be expensive, at around $500 per window or door, but you can break the project into phases over the course of four or five years. While you’re considering new windows, take a look at some nifty technology. SageGlass® (sageglass.com), for instance, actually tints itself at the touch of a button to block out the sun’s rays, almost like self-tinting sunglasses. The advantage is you can allow the sun to shine in during the winter months to help heat your home and block it out in the summer when you are trying to keep cool. For a much smaller investment you can have 3M’s Prestige Series window film.  This film is installed to your existing windows professionally and can reduce the suns rays into your home (3m.com/prestige).

If you’ve got smart windows, you might as well top your home off with a smart roof — two words you seldom see together, to be sure. Instead of creating roof shingles that simply shed water, manufacturers are creating solar roof shingles that keep out the weather and harness the sun to drive appliances such as water heaters, lights, and even the refrigerator. One such product is called SolarSave Roofing Tiles, manufactured by Open Energy Corp. (openergycorp.com). These tiles can be installed in one section, or even over the entire roof. They collect solar rays that are converted into direct electrical current, or DC, which is converted by a pump into the alternating current or AC that flows through the home. A 400-square-foot rooftop installation will produce 4,000 watts, enough energy to meet the power requirements of a typical 2,000 square foot American home.

And speaking of electricity how about your light bulbs? Compact fluorescent light bulbs can save you a bundle on your electric bill. Take Tom and Peggy Kloempken of Glenview, Ill. They live in a typical three-bedroom townhouse, outfitted with a total of 65 light bulbs. If all of these were fitted with conventional 60-watt incandescent light bulbs, they would use 3,900 watts of power — costing about 32 cents an hour where they live. If they switched to compact fluorescent lights, known as CFLs, their energy cost would be cut to just 7 cents an hour. In a year, that would be a savings of $91.25 for every hour they use the lights. Beyond this, the CFL light bulbs come with a 5-year warranty, which is unheard of among their incandescent cousins.

If you have an older home chances are there is little or no insulation in your outside walls.  Until recently the options to retro fit those walls was inconsistent at best. Now a contractor can install Air Krete Foam-sulation. This slurry of cement and expanders will fill the voids in your walls and can achieve up to an R20 insulating value.  (New construction homes typically have exterior walls with an R13 rating). This work is done from the outside of your home so no disruptions are made indoors. The material is fire-proof, mold proof, and rodent proof. A typical single story home can be insulated for around $6,000 and a two story for about double that amount. To find a dealer near you go to: airkrete.com.

All in all, when you look at the possibilities, it proves one thing: Kermit the Frog got it wrong. It really can be easy being green.

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