New Hot Renovation: The Boiler Room

Do you lug dinner guests to see your new energy-efficient tankless water heater? Watch your power meter like a hawk? Risk life and limb to keep solar panels free of snow? Answer yes to any of these, and you might be a Boiler Room Junkie. See video above for six signs of the affliction.

We put together this video in conjunction with a WSJ story about how the new "hot" room on the house tour is the boiler/mechanical room. As more homeowners add renewable energy and other efficient solutions to their heating and cooling equipment, they are increasingly showcasing the appliances as they might a new stove.

Manufacturers are responding with water heaters, furnaces, and air-conditioners that are fashion-forward and in some cases, inspired by the iPod. Check out the story to see a slideshow of a few.

Things Heat Up on CNBC...(Hint: Solar...)

I stand by what I told Larry Kudlow in this segment - I don't come cheap. But lucrative federal and state incentives can help make a solar hot water system cheaper for you. Learn more in the video and here at WSJ.

On the Roof: Why Solar Hot Water is Sexy

In tomorrow's Wall Street Journal, my job drives me to the roof -- no, not to jump -- but to explain the merits of a solar hot water system.

It's simple, and can get you out of roughly two-thirds of your hot water bill. Plus, the tax incentives to install one are pretty sweet -- cutting costs nearly in half in some cases.

Everyone thinks of electricity when they think of solar. But this is an easy and cheaper way to start cutting your energy costs. That's sexy in my book.

How Your Home Can Qualify For Bailout Cash

For those homeowners who feel they are falling between the cracks with the federal government's various stimulus efforts, my WSJ story today outlines some potentially lucrative tax credits available for various energy efficient home improvements.

The credits are available for everything from adding qualifying insulation and windows and hot water heaters, to solar panels and geothermal systems. However, some credits are available for a limited time period -- 2009 and 2010 -- so if you are in the market for some of these improvements or systems, now might be a profitable time to take the plunge.

How to Keep Your Older Home Competitive With New Ones -- From Energy Bills to Technology

In today's story and video in The Wall Street Street Journal, I look at the trend of "future-proofing" in homes -- that is, adapting new building science to older homes so they don't become obsolete in a fast-changing market.

The story offers 5 steps experts recommend considering before you tear down sheetrock or exterior siding, replace kitchen cabinets, buy a new hot water heater, build a new media room or paint a wall or refinish a floor. More on this, from a Good Morning America report late last year.

29 Green Gifts -- How Do They Rate?

To analyze just how green some of the eco-gifts on the market are this holiday season, we enlisted a trio of experts to help us analyze them in today's Wall Street Journal story.

Panelists included staffers from the not-for-profit Green Seal environmental certification group (greenseal.org); the not-for-profit Rocky Mountain Institute (rmi.org), which focuses on energy conservation and sustainability; and David Johnston, founder of Boulder-based green building consultancy What's Working Inc. (whatsworking.com).

And here's a list of 10 green home improvement items on the market this year that have an eco-bent and could fit in a stocking.

Images: Herman Miller LED light courtesy of Design Within Reach; GE Caulk Singles courtesy of caulksingles.com.

Solar Energy for the Home

Like most homeowners, I'm facing a winter of record-high heating bills, and not liking what I see. And, like many of you, I've been wondering about some of the "renewable energy" options that are supposed to wean my house off fossil fuels, help the environment -- and lower the bills.

In my July 19th About the House column for The Wall Street Journal, I explore various solar options for the home using the sun's free heat. These include solutions for domestic hot water as well as electricity. (Click the image above to see a larger diagram of a solar water system.)

On CNBC's "The Call," the host Trish Regan and I explore the topic further and you can see video of solar panels being installed. For those wondering whether we'll still care about renewable energy if oil prices fall, check out the discussion going on at WSJ's Developments blog.

To dig deeper...

dsireusa.org -- Lists federal and state tax credits and rebates for renewable energy options
seia.org -- Solar Energy Industries Association
findsolar.com -- Department of Energy sponsored site that lists certified solar installers by state
nabcep.org -- North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners lists certified installers
solar-rating.org -- Lists certified solar-equipment manufacturers
www.eere.energy.gov/solar -- Primer on solar technologies from Department of Energy