Improving Fireplace Efficiency

How effective is your fireplace as a heater in your home? If your fireplace is 15 years older or more, it may “actually waste more energy than it creates throughout the season,” according to “How to Make Your Fireplace More Efficient” by Mother Earth News.

Of course, replacing your fireplace with a newer, more energy-efficient model, is ideal, but many of us are looking for a quicker, less costly fix. From the simple addition of fireplace doors and cast-iron firebacks that reflect heat back into the room, to inserts and inflatable plugs that stop warm air from exiting through the chimney when the fireplace is in use, check out Mother Earth News‘ solutions for making your fireplace a more effective heater.

By Samantha Wells

‘Cash for Caulkers’: Stimulus for contractors

Who could forget the government’s much-hyped Cash for Clunkers program? Its runaway success has inspired yet another industry to save—this time one that contractors, construction workers and do-it-yourself homeowners alike can benefit from. Proposed earlier this month, Cash for Caulkers might just prove a boon to all of us in the industry, if the program comes to life as part of President Obama’s job creation agenda in 2010.

From performing an energy audit to using an online Energy Saver calculator, we recommend reading this article in the USA Today,  which outlines 19 different measures you can take to weatherize your home, and the potential incentives that will get contractors back to work, and homeowners on the path to save.
And for extra credit, check out this diagram outlining some potential weatherization projects on Treehugger.com.