Two Energy Efficiency Tools You Can Use Right Now

Green Building Advisor's Energy Efficiency Pyramid

At Next Step Living we're always thinking about how to communicate the important points of energy efficiency to homeowners without getting bogged down in technical details. Here's a great article from Green Building Advisor about the fundamentals of energy efficiency and an easy-to understand pyramid chart.

Green Building Advisor is an excellent free site incidentally. It's put together by Taunton Press,publishers of Fine Homebuilding. There is a pay version that goes into more technical depth and has lots of drawings and details. Professional builders may find the pay site worthwhile.

EnergySavvy Online Audit Tool

If, as you look at this pyramid, you get so excited you want to get started making your home more energy efficient right away, you can do an online energy audit . It's quick and informative.

The online energy audit tool is a story in itself: developed by EnergySavvy and initial roll-out by Next Step Living. More about it from TechCrunch.

After looking at all this you decide you want to get something done about it...fast...go here and book an audit.

Cheap LED Solution for Downlights Is On The Way

Older recessed lights are a major problem for energy efficiency. They leak air, they hog power, they make insulation retrofit difficult and sometimes impossible. The good news is that there's a cheap, accessible (Home Depot) retrofit LED plug-in on the way.