Green is the “in” thing to do, but conserving on your home heating costs is also smart budgeting. $1,400 a year is the amount an average family pays for energy bills. It is, however, possible to save 20% of this amount if you take certain steps to cut back on your heating costs.

It is extremely important that you seal your home. Cracks in the basement or attic may be causing heat to escape and higher heating bills. Your heater is probably working overtime if you have these cracks. Begin sealing these cracks and, if you need assistance as to what you should be doing, visit energystar.gov for advice.

Keeping your air filter clean is very important. Many products say that you should change them every three months. The truth is that it will be beneficial to you to change them every month. This will help you to get rid of the dirt that is the main source of system failures.

Heating systems that are more than 15 years old generally need to be replaced. It is imperative that the new system be the right size for your home as a system that is too big will simply mean extra operating costs.

If you need to have work done on your heating system, hire a professional to be sure that everything is done right and will work to your advantage.

There are many things we can do when building a new home to make it energy efficient and environmentally friendly, thus making it a “green” home. Although you may not be able to incorporate all of the following ideas into your new home, certainly some of them will fit in with your plans.

Whenever we think of homes, our first consideration is location. In the “green” home thought process, it is necessary to locate your home near where you go the most. It should be close to your job, near a grocery store, and children’s schools. This will save on travel costs as you will be able to walk or ride a bicycle.

The exterior of your home should be made of whatever material is readily available in your area. Of course, it also must be cost effective. Try to design your home around the availability and energy efficiency of particular products.

Consider raising your fireplace to the level where the heat meets the height of the seat cushions. This will make everyone more comfortable and expend less energy.

Digital programmable thermostats automatically correct the level of humidity when necessary.

Consider having an overhang on your home extending approximately 3 to 5 feet to provide summer shading.

Shade trees help keep the house cool while drought-tolerant plants require less water.

A well-positioned porch captures breezes and screening is very beneficial.

Consider a detached carport versus an attached garage to eliminate gas fumes and other toxins from getting into the home.

Consider flooring made of linoleum or oak as they are durable and easy to clean. Linoleum is easy to clean and oak is plentiful and affordable. These are much better choices that importing exotic woods.

Appliances should always be Energy Star certified as they are high quality and more energy efficient than any others.