Put Your Home On A Diet receive a personalized report with items that we can check off as (NAPSA)—With the Obama administration’s anticipated “Cash for Caulkers” program gaining momentum, now is a home improvement projects are great time to put your home on an energy diet. Much like eating right and exercise can help you shed pounds, making smart investments and small adjustments in your home energy use can make a big difference on your utility bill. While some home energy monitoring tools (or diet programs, for that matter) require consumers to shell out hundreds of dollars, Microsoft offers a free service called Hohm that can help you quickly get started on losing those excess watts. To get started, visit www.microsoft-hohm.com and answer a handful of questions about your home, such as your zip code and square footage. Hohm will create a personalized energy report for you, complete with tips on how to save energy, home improvement suggestions, project pricing and even estimates for how long it will take to earn back A free, online audit can help you put your home on an energy diet that will save you time, trouble and money. your investment. Hohm will also show you how your home’s energy use compares to other homes in your area. The more information you provide, the more accurate the recommendations you'll receive. Think of these tips as your home energy improvement to-dolist. Homeowner Barry Fuchs jumped at the chance to put his home to thetest. “It was great to completed. I’ve noticed that ’'m more aware of my energy consumption habits after completing the survey,” said Fuchs. “I would recommend this Web site to anyone who is looking to gain more insight into their home energy use.” You'll quickly see that easy changes such asreplacing regular lightbulbs with compact fluorescent ones (tip: If you don’t like the lighting they provide, use them in rooms you don’t spend much time in, such as closets, attics and laundry rooms), combining laundry loads and running morecycles on cold water can makea big difference in your energy usage and monthly bill. Simply by being aware of your energy consumption habits, you will likely make smarter decisions about energy use. Give it a try and see your energy use slim down, while helping the environment and your wallet.
