The New York Times featured an article with Bruce Harley, author of Cut Your Energy Bills Now. Purchase your copy of the book today to save money and to make your home more comfortable and green.

During this interview Harley commented on ' "the first time many people give any thought to replacing a refrigerator is when it stops working. But, he said, if you wait until your equipment dies, you're going to be making a panic purchase, and you're not going to spend the time looking for the most energy-efficient model." '

Are there reliable ways to cut your energy bills now? Yes. And this comprehensive volume shows you precisely how to make your house more energy efficient by creating an action plan to revisit, revamp or replace big appliances, lighting, heating and cooling systems, insulation and much more. In 2007, the average household spent between $2,100 and $2,500 on energy for the home. And no one needs to remind you that costs are even higher today.

By providing more than 150 ways you can save energy today, Bruce Harley gives you detailed instructions on projects you can complete yourself -- plus everything you'll need to hire competent, experienced outside contractors.

If you've had it with the spiraling cost of heating, cooling and running your home, here's a timely, valuable book with just the solutions you need.

Plan Your Energy Fixes

Lighting and Plug-Ins

Big Appliances

Hot Water

Heating and Cooling

Your Leaky House

Insulation

Windows and Doors

Resources
Index

In this book, we'll show you more than 150 steps you can take to save energy in your home. Some are easy, some are difficult. Some you can do yourself; others you'll need professional help to get done. The object is to steer you toward value by focusing on steps that are low cost or high benefit; some are both.

For those projects you'll do yourself, I offer tools and tips from 18 years of direct experience in helping people save energy and improve comfort. For those projects that need outside help, I'll teach you what to look for in a contractor, what to ask him or her to do, and what to expect.

Some steps aren't projects at all, but simply ask you to pay a bit more attention, by smart shopping, planning ahead, or making yourself more aware of your day-to-day use of the energy-consuming "stuff" in your home.

What to tackle first? Every house is different, and so is every family, so there's no recipe for the "right" solution. Before we start looking at the projects themselves, we'll talk about the house as a series of systems, and the ways these systems use energy.

Understanding your energy use will help you create a strategy that works for you and will help you capitalize on opportunities to reduce costs or leverage benefits whenever you are doing other remodeling work on your house.

I'll provide an overview of environmental impact and health and safety concerns right in your home. Then I'll show you how to get outside help when you need it: financial help, technical help, and contractor help. This will help you plan ahead so you can get the maximum benefit from these steps and projects at a minimum cost and effort.

Customer Reviews from Amazon

I own about a dozen DIY books on weatherproofing/weathersealing, interior air quality (IAQ), humidity, moisture, and so forth. Harley's "Insulate and Weatherize" was my hands-down favorite purchase in that category. The writing and photos and diagrams were all intelligent and precise, and Harley's knowledge is several notches above the other authors'. He foresaw issues and problems that our top local HVAC consultant was clueless about. Priceless.

"Cut Your Energy" is like his earlier book in all those ways, but with a different emphasis. There is overlap with the earlier book when it comes to things like hunting-and-destroying air leaks, but most of "Cut Your Energy" is new material. I'd already read a lot in this area, so I knew maybe 45% of the stuff in Cut Your Energy. But the other 55% was worth its weight in gold.

This is an oversize book with tons of detailed text, photos, diagrams, lists of resources and contact info, appendices, and -- our favorite -- "energy-saving" myths. [One example: We had assumed that we should seal off the HVAC vents in unused bedrooms and closets to save energy. Not always true, per Harley.]

Unless you're an expert already, I think this is the book to get.

Detailed with lots of photographs for the average person. Systematic for doing a thorough tightening up of your home or office. Does not include a HERS energy audit or a Dulley Energy Efficiency Index inventory, but pretty much include most other things.

Buy this Book  Add to Cart

Reviews provided by data from Amazon.com