In these tight economic times, it seems everybody is looking for a way to pinch pennies. One of the best places to begin is in the home. But the commitment to lower utility bills requires biting the bullet and opening the wallet.

There are many home improvements that will start you down that frugal road - insulation, radiant barrier foil, and replacing your incandescents with fluorescents. But a huge ROI is installing replacement windows.

There are a lot of variables to consider. It’s a balance between budget, aesthetics, and the geographic area you’re located in. Another consideration is what you need to install in order to order to qualify for an energy tax credit. It’s not enough to simply have Energy Star products like it is with refrigerators or dishwashers.

Where you live is as important. What will qualify in Wisconsin is not necessary the same as in Texas. What wacky, goofy, out-of-touch guys those legislators up in Washington are.

Then there’s the choice of filler in double-pane windows. The most common choices are air (poor), argon (better), and krypton (best, and not just because it freaks Superman out).

The prices for these three fillers go from low to high along with their efficiency. Krypton doesn’t cost more just to clean out your bank account; the gas itself is expensive. Many experts will tell you that the price isn’t justified as the payback time frame is so darned long.

Read more about fillers, pros and cons of the different types of frame materials, the U-factor, and how the solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) applies to your choice. Education is key before you talk to a salesman.

Other related articles:

• Save Money with Door and Window Weatherstripping
• A Certified Home Inspector can Improve Energy Efficiency
• Save Money with Solar Window Film

I know, a lot of folks are going to “quit smoking” or “lose weight” again. This time, why not give it a rest and plan some DIY New Year’s resolutions? I won’t have any problem making that list since I’ve always got home improvements on my plate. And then there’s the honey-do’s.

I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one. How about you? Hopefully, Santa will bring you some cool new Christmas present tools. I don’t think that’s on my horizon but who knows? Here’s a few DIY projects I’ve been brainstorming:

• Build a wood walkway to my front door. Something like a short boardwalk. See; there’s a concrete sidewalk next to my attached garage that leads to the front door, but it’s a bit low and catches standing water when it rains hard. It’s not so bad that I need to install a French drain, but it certainly is an irritation.
• Install a laminate floor in the entry way closet. That’s all that’s left of my whole home reflooring project and I’ve kind of put it on the back burner.
• Finish my walk-in pantry. There’s a door from the kitchen to the garage/woodworking shop and I stole a bit of space there last year and built a pantry for more storage space. It’s part of my perpetual remodeling syndrome. What’s left? Installing a prehung door and finishing the floor.

Plenty of time to do all that; I just have to expense it. That’s the joy and grief of being a freelance writer - I get to schedule my own time, but the cash flow is not as consistent to a 9 to 5 gig. Some days chicken; some days feathers.

So what’s on your list? Add your comment to this post and we’ll see what’s popular.

Just like death and taxes, homeowners insurance is a fact of life. It’s a major pain in the buttocks unless you need it; then, it’s a lifesaver. Like car insurance, there is inevitably a deductible which is just shy of the the amount of the claim you’re trying to file.

What’s a homeowner to do? For one thing, be sure that your homeowners policy is adequate to cover replacement cost because that is the intent of it. This is a mistake that many homeowners make, thinking that the price they paid is the correct number.

But in the passing years the prices for both building materials and labor have risen. Next, do what you can to keep the premiums at a minimum.

There are a few things that you can do to lower what you now pay or to keep it at its already low level as you make home improvements and increase the coverage amount by reassessing your higher coverage requirements.

So check out the suggestions below and try them on for size. Mix and match; have fun and run with it! (Yeah, right! I know this kind of stuff is about as entertaining as a root canal…)

• Install an automatic fire sprinkler system. Insurance companies like State Farm, Farmers, and Allstate will give you a discount. Although they have to strike a risk balance between water damage and fire damage, they recognize that the risk is lower with sprinklers.
• Have a metal roof installed. When it comes time to re-roof your home, if you are planning to stay for an extended period of time, go with a steel roof rather than asphalt composition shingles. The two things that the insurance company is likely to take into consideration is fire risk and hail damage.
• Raise your deductible. This works just like car insurance. The more you have to pay before they start to kick in, the less they will charge you in yearly premiums.
• Buy all your insurance from the same company. This is a powerful bargaining chip. Putting all your eggs in one basket allows you to argue for better rates and might just ease your paperwork load.

So do what you can to rein in your cash outlay in these hard financial times. A penny saved is a penny earned.

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Homeowners insurance. Shoestrings. Toilet paper. What do these things have in common? We buy them and promptly forget about them. Until we need them, that is; and that’s when we find out if they are adequate.

Unlike toilet paper, you should update homeowners insurance coverage on an annual basis and/or after significant home improvements. In most cases, your insurance provider should be glad to help you figure out what the replacement price tag for your home is.

My insurance company is State Farm and they’re very helpful. In fact, they just sent me a letter on this topic which prompted this post.

This is what you have to consider: replacement; not what the state or county says the property is worth when they send you that inflated estimate of home value for tax purposes. It’s also not the same as market value, which is what you realistically could sell it for.

If you hire a building contractor to remodel a kitchen, obviously the replacement cost of your home will go up. But what if you make no improvements throughout the year? Most folks assume that the status quo remains static but they would be wrong!

Why, you ask demurely? Because material and labor costs rise.

Improvements Affecting Insurance Payouts

Just a sampling of home improvements to consider -

• Installing hardwood or laminate flooring
• Upgrading to energy-efficient krypton or Argon filled windows with a Low-e coating
• Bathroom or kitchen remodel
• Remodeling your basement
• Siding replacement with Hardiplank fiber cement siding
• Replace your central air conditioner with one with a higher SEER rating

There are more, of course, but this gives you an idea. The more money you pour into the homestead, the more reason you have to update your insurance policy.

My last post was on energy-efficient windows and how they can save you money. Great idea, but as I pointed out, that’s an expensive process.

Fortunately, there are a number of other methods to tweak your home to enjoy lower utility bills. It’s easy to do methodically following this lists of energy-saving home improvements. And this is one of two best times of the year to address some of these things, as we go from winter to summer.


Why is this so important? Energy costs are more likely to increase than decrease for all of us. Where do you live? Where I live, I have to live by the energy dictates of President Obama.

That’s where it gets sticky. It’s still unclear what he will do with energy policy. While campaigning, he said he was against nuclear power and even clean coal. He was unclear on natural gas.

But he’s already flip-flopped on other things so these issues are open to speculation. Personally, I would like to see the Picken’s plan go into effect. That’s natural gas, baby, and we’ve got a lot of it.

Either way, it’s critical to do all the little things to our homes to reduce spending. Things like tuning up weather stripping, installing ceiling fans, adding insulation, and converting over to compact fluorescent bulbs. You can do these small things yourself or hire a handyman. I always suggest using  Angie’s List. to find a reputable one.

Please visit my site for more energy conservation ideas.