Bathroom books

• 101 Bathrooms: Stylish Room Solutions

• Bathroom Design

• Bathroom Design Planner

• Bathroom Idea Book

• Bathrooms: Creative Planning for Beautiful Bathrooms

• Builder's Book of Bathrooms

• Builder's Guide to Bathrooms

• Complete Bathroom Design: 30 Floor Plans Plus Fixtures, Surfaces, Lighting and Storage Ideas from the Experts

Visit our Bathroom-dedicated web site

Build a House That Pays Its Own Utility Bills

• Generate electricity and heat water using solar panels
• Reduce summer heat by building a large porch, using generous overhangs, and vinyl-framed, double-glazed windows
• Insulate edges around foundation to minimize temperature changes
• Use louvered vents to draw in cool air at night
• Use recycled cellulose insulation (blown in) to completely fill in space between walls (also helps keep house acoustically quiet)
• Use an on-demand hot-water heater, which also helps keep rooms warm, to augment hot-water storage tanks

For existing homes, here are tips for saving energy:

There are a number of different ways, in addition to insulating your home, to save energy and help ensure that your home is energy efficient. Use the following list to find out what you can do to save additional energy.

Year-Round

* Weatherize. Check for drafts around windows and doors with a piece of tissue paper attached to a string. If the paper moves, air is leaking in or out. Adding the proper amount of weatherstripping and caulking can increase energy savings by up to 10%.
* Close off unoccupied rooms.
* Insulate hot water heater, pipes and ducts.
* Install water-saver shower heads or flow restrictors. These inexpensive devices will pay for themselves in a few months.
* Install energy-efficient doors and windows which can help reduce fuel costs up to 15%.
* Choose energy-efficient kitchen appliances. They may cost more initially, but can save you money by reducing your energy use.

Winter

* Once a year, clean and inspect all central heating equipment such as furnaces and boilers. The cleaner and more efficient they are, the bigger the energy savings. A properly adjusted furnace can help save you up to 10% in fuel consumption.
* Change furnace filters once a month.
* Close energy-stealing openings such as fireplace dampers.
* Set thermostat at 65 degrees F in the day, 55 degrees F at night.
* Vacuum radiators and registers frequently.
* Cover your window air-conditioning unit to prevent cold air from entering through the vents.

Summer

* Turn off air conditioning when you go out. It takes more energy to maintain the temperature level of a cooled home than it does to bring it back to the desired temperature.
* Cool with fans whenever possible. They use as little as one-tenth the electricity used by an air conditioner.
* Save heat-producing activities such as washing and drying clothes indoors for summer's cooler evening hours.
* Use an outdoor clothesline to dry clothes on warm summer days.