A pellet stove uses waste wood products

The end of winter comes as a big relief for most Americans, and not just because of the arrival of more comfortable weather. Finally, there's an end to those record-high, home-heating bills.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Americans spent an average of 9.8 percent more on their home-heating bills this winter than during the previous year. Heating oil prices went up the most — 21.8 percent over the previous year. The average cost of heating a home using heating oil was $1,785 this winter.

With the price of a barrel of oil in record territory, it looks like high home-heating prices are here to stay, but there are things you can do now while the weather is mild to make sure the impact won’t sting as much next year.

Here are some steps you can take to green up your home today:

"Half the heat generated in an EPA-certified appliance, whether it's a stove, insert or fireplace comes from burning the smoke. Upgrading to one of these means less trips to the wood pile, cleaning the chimney less and cleaner air outside," said Steve Tate of Quadra-Fire, the leading manufacturer of clean-burning hearth appliances.

<B>A clean burning wood fireplace can be more efficient than gas.</B>

When these fireplaces burn, they preserve indoor air quality by sending combustibles outdoors. And since they are designed and tested as furnaces, they deliver the heat immediately to the room; whereas a furnace may have a 94-percent efficiency at the appliance; but by the time the heat is pushed around the duct system, it delivers at a much lower level of efficiency. So zone heating with gas/pellet/wood is more efficient and effective and therefore "greener" in the long run.

For more information about these and other green heating options available for your remodel, log on to www.fireplaces.com.

In addition to greening up your home heating, here are some other environmentally friendly upgrades you may want to consider:

• As your appliances break down, upgrade to Energy Star-rated ones that use less electricity than standard units of comparable size. Energy Star is a partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, product manufacturers, local utilities and retailers that promote efficient products and educate consumers about the benefits of energy efficiency.
• When it comes time to upgrade your flooring, put down a floor made of reclaimed wood. There are several companies in the marketplace that offer planks made out of boards recovered from old barns and buildings. Seal up the attic and crawl spaces rather than venting them. This will offer a big help with the heating bill and air quality.
• Equip your home with a rainwater catchment system that collects, filters, stores and delivers rainwater for nonpotable uses in the home, such as for toilets. Rainwater is diverted from the roof, filtered, and then stored in an underground holding tank next to the home.