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We're living in tough economic times. As of this writing, the US economy is facing a crisis, the likes of which we may not have seen since the Great Depression.

energy issues are constantly in the news, as most of us look for tips on energy savings, some of which might include a replacement furnace, HVAC, ways to recycle water, heaters, energy efficient appliances, and more. But how about making one of the most mundane units in your home more efficient as well - your toilets?

No, you don't have to put a brick in your toilet tank or install any flushing rules in your house, but yes, you can still save money with your toilet usage.

Did you know that the average old-model toilet uses about 5 gallons of water per flush? With 4 people flushing 5 times a day, that's 100 gallons of water sent literally down the toilet! Keep reading for answers to common questions on how you can actually save money while sitting on the toilet.

Why should I buy a water-efficient toilet?

The average household can save approximately $100 a year on their utility bills. You'll also be helping to conserve thousands of gallons of water and do your part for the earth. Remember, toilets are the largest single users of water inside most homes. For typical homeowners, replacing a toilet can be the single most significant money-saving efficiency action they do.

How much does a water-efficient toilet differ from a regular toilet? Will I still get the same flush?

Water-efficient toilets work by using an efficient bowl design and actually increasing the flushing velocity. While older high-consumption toilets use extra water volume to push out waste, the water-efficient toilet uses better design.

Most low-volume toilets flush just as well as older toilets and don't require double flushing. Remember, water-efficient toilets have to meet the same cleaning and performance standards set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

How much will a new water-efficient toilet cost?

A standard water-efficient, gravity-design toilet can range from as low as $40 all the way up to several hundred dollars, with most models averaging between $100 and $200.

However, the cost of the toilet will be easily repaid over time in lower water and utility bills. So don't be overly cautious about spending a few more dollars on a high quality toilet since the longer-term payback will be substantial.

What should I look for when buying a water-efficient toilet?

Like you would with any home purchase, look online for product reviews, ask for advice at the store and be an informed consumer. Remember, a higher price doesn't always indicate a better product. While all toilets have to pass certain performance tests, the quality can vary significantly and so can the test scores.

Ask your retailer to tell you what toilets scored highest on the ANSI flush tests. A good retailer should have that information readily available. If not, you should be able to locate the information online.

Do I need to install any special modifications to put in a water efficient toilet?

Most water-efficient toilets are installed just like an older toilet. With very few exceptions, they're roughed in the same way and connected to the plumbing the same way. You simply need the patience to set it properly and ensure that water connections are tight to prevent leaks.

Do I still need to put a brick in the tank to save money?

No, the days of plopping a brink inside a toilet tank are over. Because water-efficient toilets are optimized for maximum efficiency, restricting their full flow can actually cause performance problems rather than help.

So you're looking into moving the concepts and principles of feng shui outside of your home and into your garden. This is a fabulous idea - after all, the energy you create outside your home directly affects the energy that is created within your home.

One of the best ways to create balanced, positive feng shui in your outdoor living space is to use plants to create positive energy. But do you choose just any plants? Are there certain plants and flowers that create better feng shui than others?

Although most all plants create positive energy for your household, there are some that clearly stand out as fine selections for generating vibrant, renewing, comfortable energy. Here are a few examples:

· Jade (Crassula Ovata) - this plant is wonderful for creating abundance and prosperity. You can use this plant near your front door (your career area) to invite abundance-producing energy into your home. You can also use this plant in your “fame” area at the rear of your home, as well as the “wealth and p[prosperity” area at the left rear section of your home, to help provide opportunities for notoriety, publicity, and personal wealth.

· Peony (Paeonia) - this flower symbolizes love and affection. If you have adequate sunlight, you can plant this flower in the right rear corner of your home (the “love and relationships” area) to promote harmonious family relationships. This is also a good choice for planting in or near the “creativity and children” section, in the central right part of your home, to help foster acceptance and approval of a child's creative endeavors.

· Chrysanthemum - this flower is associated with ease of life, happiness, and joy. Yellow chrysanthemums are particularly good for creating joyful energy around your home. This is a fantastic choice for the “love and relationships” area located at the rear right corner of your home.

· Narcissus - this flowering bulb represents good fortune. This is another good flower to place at the front of your home, to attract abundance and good career opportunities.

· Money Plant (Philodendron Scandens) - a wonderful plant for shaded areas. Make sure you keep the leaves trimmed so they do not become too large. This is ordinarily placed at the front of the home; however, if the front of your home is very sunny, you may want to skip this plant, because not having a money plant at all is better than having a money plant with dead leaves.

· Lillies - these flowers help promote positive energy and good feng shui throughout the year. They also grow easily in just about any kind of soil, so they are a low-maintenance flower that you can count on year after year.

You can see that you have many choices when selecting plants for your feng shui garden. Just remember to intersperse these plants with metal sculptures and other objects that will help break up the dominating wood element of the plants and flowers. You can easily mix these elements to create a landscape that is both visually attractive and pleasing to the remainder of your senses (including the metaphysical ones) as well.  

Linda Binns shows you how to be more successful in all areas of your life by working with your environment. Get FREE Feng Shui Success Secrets. These powerful and practical secrets can help you transform your life. Go to www.fengshuiexplained.com now.

Linda Binns is author of Feng Shui for Your Relationships: Changing Your Environment to Create Better Relationships. She has been a Feng Shui Practitioner, Author, Speaker and teacher for over 10 years. She has appeared internationally on television and radio and in local publications. Linda is also the founder of The Feng Shui Success Institute – which teaches in-depth Feng Shui training and practitioner certification.

Before you begin to learn how to build solar power energy, you will need to do a few things to get ready. You will need to assess your house and your location to make sure that solar power will ultimately work for you. You also need to determine exactly what you want to do with your new energy before you learn how to build solar power energy because what you intend to do with it will impact what exactly you will need to build it.

Do you want to learn how to build solar power energy to heat your water, or do you want to know how to build solar power energy to replace some of all of the electricity in your home. Perhaps you want to do both. They type of solar energy you want to use will be a factor in how to build solar power energy systems for your home.

Also, before you learn how to build solar power energy, you will need to assess your home and figure out if it is positioned well in order to get the maximum benefit of the solar power energy that you build. Does the roof of your home, or at least one side of it, face the direct sunlight for most of the day? Ultimately homes in the northern hemisphere should have a roof that faces south and homes in the southern hemisphere should have roofs that face north.

Is your roof taller than the trees that are near your house? If so, how old are the trees and how tall are they likely to grow? Check the neighbor’s trees, too. Before learning how to build solar power energy you will want to make sure that your solar panels aren’t going to be shaded for most of the day by large trees.

One of the most important assessments you will need to determine before learning how to build solar power energy is how much solar power energy to you need? Your electricity use can be determined by taking a look at your utility bill, you’ll want an average over a year or so. Now that you know exactly what you need, go find out how to build solar power energy and help save the planet.

If you want to make your own solar or/and wind power generator and generate free electricity. Check out my blog: http://www.make-a-windmill-generator.com/ It's best way to save energy and money. You can build your own solar power panel or windmill for less than $200 with Earth4energy!

Home Energy Audits

Most People use a home inspector when buying a home but, ordinary home inspectors are all about what is visible and easily accessible. Home Inspectors usually don’t use the high tech equipment that is used in a home Thermal home energy audit. Thermal scans go beyond what an ordinary inspection covers by verifying what you can't see. With state-of-the-art equipment energy Audit firms can actually "see" inside your walls and tell you if the insulation you are paying for is actually there. These types of scans can also spot hidden moisture damage as seen in the image above that can cause major damage or mold and at the very least, render your insulation useless.

In the course of an Normal inspection, an inspector will look in your attic and measure the insulation that is readily accessible and visible. And energy Audit firm will survey the entire home for missing or inadequate insulation as well as moisture damage (without touching the insulation) and tell you if the insulation is working. A residential home energy audit will also survey your ductwork to insure it does not leak and send heated or cooled air where you don't want it.

Included in These types of surveys is a scan of your electrical panel that can spot potential fire hazards (we do these same scans for our industrial clients regularly). At the very least, you should always insist on a thermal inspection of your electrical panel when buying a home. A panel only inspection is usually less than $80, which is a small price to pay for preventing an electrical fire or other types of fire hazards.

More on Home Energy Audit

Baby it's cold outside, but it's getting expensive to turn up that oil furnace. More and more home owners are turning to alternate sources of heating.

People are turning to firewood, electric heaters, and gas fireplaces for added warmth, but these heat sources present a new set of cautions for fire prevention.

Electric heaters or electric fireplace:

Make sure you read your manufacturer's instructions and heed the warning labels for your portable heater.

Never leave it unattended, and always unplug it when not in use. When you do unplug the unit, pull the cord straight out to prevent cord damage.

Never plug the heater into a power strip or extension cord to prevent overheating.

Keep flammable objects at least three feet away from the heater and never block the air intake or outlet.

energyhq.com/house-and-home/preventing-home-fires-from-alternate-heat-sources" class="more" class="more-link">More on Preventing Home Fires From Alternate Heat Sources