In case you don't know, there are environmental consultants out there who can do diagnostics to tell you where your money would be best spent on green improvements.

For instance, you may have leaks you don't know about that would save you more money to fix and be a better long-term investment than buying new windows.

twocents,try and get information about inside our outside wall isolation,it will really be an improvement.It doesn't cost much,at least not me it didn't,and you will see the benefits from it in short time.There are a lot of options out there that might fit you.Search is the key.

I put insulation into the ceiling space and the external wall linings when the house was being built.

I have tinted double-glazed windows to keep it cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

I have solar panels on the roof for power.

I installed two rain-water tanks, collected from downpipes from the roof.

I bought darker curtains to keep the heat down in summer.

I planted deciduous trees around the yard to provide shade in summer and when the leaves drop, allow more sunlight during winter.

I wish I could think of more things I could do!

We bought our home last summer, and haven't done any renovations to it yet. The people who had it before us, did have the green insulation put in, and it really helps with our heating bills. We live in North Dakota, where it's really cold most of the winter, but we are paying about the same for heating our house, as what my parents pay in Missouri, where it's usually about 20 degrees or more warmer! My parents house only has about 100 square feet more of living space, too.

The only thing we've really done to conserve electricity is that we only use florescent light bulbs, but that is all we've used for most of the three years we've been married anyway.