Can you say Hot? A dollar five today and we are not getting a brake any time soon. As homeowners, we need to be contentious about keeping our homes energy efficient. Efficient homes are the result of upgrading windows, blowing in additional insulation and replacing hollow core exterior doors.

Today's homes should hold an R-38 value. In order to achieve this rating, newer homes are built with Low-E Windows, 18" cellulose insulation, whole house wraps and insulated steel-clad doors. Some homes actually surpass this rating by utilizing low density foam.

I spoke with a man whom owns a new home on Richland Chambers Lake. He used low density foam for all his exterior walls and blew in 18" of cellulose insulation into the attic. His summer electric bill is around $140, that's cooling 3000 sq'! I can not say what the homes total R Rating is, but $140 in the summer sounds great to me.

For those of us disadvantaged with an older home, upgrades are a must. The government is giving tax credits for upgrades, you can find out more at http://www.irs.gov