by Andrea Woroch

Furnaces are kicking in across the US as temperatures sink. Alas, keeping warm comes with a higher sticker price each year, no matter what type of heating system you use. According to CNN Money, the average bill for a home using heating oil is more than $320 per month while gas users fork over $160 monthly.

Here are some thoughts on how you could lower your heating bill without freezing your way through the winter.

1. Energy Audit
The first step is to assess any problem areas. Ask if your utility company provides a free or low-cost energy audit, which will identify changes you should make. If you such audits aren’t available, there are still ways to ascertain problems for yourself and small projects you can accomplish without professional help.

2. Seek Incentives
Some states offer improvement incentives, including providing and installing a free programmable thermostat; paying a portion of insulation upgrades; or providing rebates on the cost of materials. Look for such offers at the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency. If you can’t find an applicable program, you can reduce the cost of supplies by finding coupons for major home improvement centers, hardware stores, big-box stores, and more at such sites as CouponSherpa.

3. Change Furnace Filters
Many of us think of changing our furnace filters just once or twice a year, yet experts say we should replace them every month during the heating season. Better yet, switch to a permanent filter you can clean regularly.

4. Dodge the Draft
According to the US Department of Energy, you can waste 5 to 30 percent of your energy use to heat the great outdoors through drafts. The simplest remedy is to place draft dodgers or snakes at leaking doors. You can use an old towel or make your own easily out of a leg of pantyhose stuffed with rice or sawdust and tied at both ends. To find air leaks, place a lighted candle in front of possible drafts, have someone blow through the crack from the other side, and watch to see if the flame wavers.

5. Weather Strip Thresholds
Draft snakes are fine for cracks at the bottom of doors, but we often lose heat at the sides and top of doors and windows. Check out this Dummies.com video explaining how to install weather strips.

6. Install a Programmable Thermostat
A programmable thermostat allows you to keep the house cooler when it’s empty and automatically turn up the heat before you arrive at home or get up in the morning. The Nest Learning Thermostat represents the latest and greatest in programmable thermostat technology, but you don’t need to shell out $249 to benefit from one of these gadgets. You can pick one up for as little as $20 and save an average of 10% a year on your heating and cooling bill.

7. Upgrade Your Attic Insulation
Roofs are energy vampires. They’ll suck rising heat right out of your home, if not properly insulated. Types of insulation include the standard fiberglass (in both batt and blown forms), rigid foam board, spray foam and cellulose. Unless you’re handy around the house, this is a project best left to professionals, but it’s the best investment you can make to reduce future energy bills.

Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc., and has been featured among such top news outlets as Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney, and many more.

Luci Wilson, garden consultant from Peaceful Valley Farm, a California-based supplier of organic farming and gardening supplies, recommends gardeners keep a “garden first aid kit” on hand in order to target problems when they are new and more manageable. It’s much better to use just a little spray on a beginning infestation than over the whole garden. “The key thing is to be observant with plants,” advises Wilson. “Watch what they are doing and how they are behaving and they will give you a lot of signs about what they need.”

Garden First Aid Kit

Insecticidal Soap: There are many organic versions available that kill soft-bodied pests such as aphids and mites. Do not apply when it is over 90 degrees or in full sun. You can make a milder version by mixing 2-3 tablespoons of a mild biodegradable dish detergent with 1 gallon of water. Homemade soap sprays may burn plant leaves so spot test first before applying.

Horticultural Oil: Again, look for an organic version. These oils suffocate insects at all stages. Careful, some of the heavier grades can clog the plant pores as well so spot test on a few leaves. Sesame oil can also be used in a pinch.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt): Used for organic gardening since the 1940s, Bt is bacteria in a powdered form that kills only leaf-eating caterpillars, leaving all other animals and insect stages unharmed.

Liquid Kelp Solution: Derived from the seaweed, this solution provides a combination of trace minerals, natural growth hormones, and B1 vitamins. Diluted and applied on the leaves or the soil, it is an excellent remedy for stressed plants. Wilson waters all her transplants with it to reduce transplant shock.

With the liquid remedies, be careful not to apply in extreme heat or sun, since this can also lead to damaged leaves.

Turn to your Pantry

You can mix up some effective insect sprays from common ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, according to GardenGuides.com.

• Make a mix of 1 teaspoon dishwashing detergent, 1 quart water, and 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake well and apply every 10 days to kill aphids, spider mites, and other insects on contact. Use it on eggplants, cucumbers, carrots, celery, peppers and other vegetables. It may cause tip burn, so test it on one plant first.
• Add one ground-up garlic bulb or large onion to 1 quart of water with 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper and let it sit for at least one hour. Use a strainer to put the liquid into a spray bottle. This is an effective remedy for many types of chewing and sucking insects.
• Use your blender to make a spearmint spray with 1 cup each of green onion tops and chopped spearmint leaves, 1/2 cup water, the juice of one lemon, and 1/2 cup chopped hot red peppers. After blending put mixture into 1 gallon water with 1/2 cup dishwashing detergent. Mix 1/2 cup of the final product with 1 quart water for spraying.
• To kill aphids, mosquitoes, and onion flies, soak 3 to 4 ounces of chopped garlic bulbs in 2 tablespoons of mineral oil for one day. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of fish emulsion in a pint of water and add it to your solution. Stir. Strain liquid and store in a glass container. Dilute 1 part solution to every 20 parts of water and spray.
• Crushed eggshells are great for getting rid of soft-bodied insects including snails and slugs. Snails and slugs want to avoid the sharp jagged edges of the shells, so sprinkle crushed eggshells liberally on top of the soil around garden plants.

Smart & Beautiful Floors

If you’re building or remodeling this spring, there are more choices than ever before when it comes to sustainable, environmentally friendly products. Choices in flooring materials, for example, can help to preserve our forests and other resources, and cork and bamboo tops this list.

Cork floors are made from the harvested bark of the cork tree. Because the tree is not cut down and the bark is a renewable resource, it’s a desirable choice for environmentally aware consumers. Cork is cushiony soft and helps to diminish noise. Cork flooring is offered in many colors in both planks and tiles. Like solid wood, cork can be finished, stained, or painted.

Bamboo flooring has been used for centuries in Asia because of its beauty, hardness, and durability. Recognized as the fastest-growing plant on earth, bamboo offers 25 times the yield of hardwood, yet is just as durable. Bamboo can be harvested every 5 to 7 years, unlike 15 to 100 years for many tree woods. Today’s bamboo floors are available in many colors and textures.