As winners of the JELD-WEN Windows & Doors Utility Bill Bailout contest, Jeanne McCabe and John Reis of Katonah, New York, received new energy efficient windows and doors for their 2,200-square-foot home. With heating bills topping $1,100 a month, replacing their drafty, single-pane windows will save a bundle on their energy expenses. Read on to find out more. Read in full.

How insulation works is expressed by its R-value, which is the measure of resistance to the flow of heat. The higher the R-value, the better insulation insulates per inch of thickness. Read on to find some general guidelines for how much insulation you need, as well as the R-value for different types of insulation. Read in full.

Eco-friendly or green materials are products that are nontoxic, use less energy and fewer resources, are made from recycled materials or are easily recyclable. While all insulation is eco-friendly to some extent, since it saves energy, cotton and soybean based insulation are even greener products, since they’re manufactured from natural materials. Watch this video to find out more. Watch this video.

Insulation in your home is important to reduce heat loss and gain and save energy. How well a particular type of insulation works is determined by its R-value, which is a measure of the insulation’s resistance to the transfer of heat. Watch this video to find out more. Watch this video.

There are a number of ways that building materials made from plastic products can make your home more energy efficient and save money on your heating and cooling bills including caulking cracks, installing foam weather stripping, applying heat blocking plastic film to windows, and replacing old windows with vinyl clad insulated ones. Watch this video to find out more. Watch this video.

Cracks and gaps on the outside of your home cause air infiltration that increases the heating and cooling cost of your home as well as wasting energy. Since approximately one-third of a home’s air infiltration comes from small openings in walls, windows, ceilings, and doors; it’s important to locate and properly seal these gaps.

Nicole asks, When finishing an attic, which way should I face the insulation, or should I use nothing at all?

Since both the attic above and room below will be heated, you can use unfaced insulation without a vapor barrier or no insulation at all. Read on to find out more. Read in full.

Air leaks in your home can significantly increase heating and cooling costs. To find air leaks, have an energy audit conducted that uses a blower door test to lower the air pressure in your home. Once the air leaks are located, seal them using caulking or weather stripping. Watch this video to find out more. Watch this video.

While fiberglass insulation is usually cut with a utility knife, one of our viewers came up with a novel idea which worked great and gets the job done in no time. Read on to find out more. Read in full.