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Bounce Energy, a Texas electricity company, has posted an easy to read report on its website to help consumers who are considering whether or not to take advantage of the 2009-2010 Energy Efficiency Federal Income Tax Credit.

The US Government’s Energy Star Program reports that the typical American household spends approximately ,300 per year on home energy bills. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that homeowners can typically save up to 20% of heating and cooling costs (or up to 10% of total energy costs – or 0) by air sealing their homes through caulking and sealing drafts. Furthermore, a home owner can save up to 0 from their annual heating and cooling costs by sealing leaks and insulating their duct work.

So, for less than 0 and just a few weekend hours of sealing holes and cracks or tape over leaky duct work, a homeowner can potentially save up to 0 from their annual heating and cooling costs.

In fact, any energy efficiency improvements immediately lower energy bills and will pay for themselves over time. This is especially true when considering the major hardware components of a home:

Drafty windows or doors that fail to close snugly and allow water to penetrate and rot the sills Water heaters with sediment-filled or corroded tanks that will leak and fail Heating and air conditioning systems (HVAC) built with inefficient heat-exchangers and high-wattage electronics that waste energy and cause heat Wood-burning stoves or furnaces (or other “biomass fuel”) that burn poorly, heat poorly, and release waste gases Roofs that trap heat and increase the cooling load Not enough attic or wall insulation to maintain the home’s temperature

For the report, they cite an example of a modest starter home: a single-story 3-bedroom 1750 sq. foot home built in 2008 on the Gulf Coast. By installing Energy Star-rated hardware upgrades such as new triple-pane insulating low-E, argon gas wood-framed windows, a whole-house on-demand water heater, and adding 6 inches of attic insulation, a homeowner can recoup 56% from their yearly energy costs. By adding in the energy tax credit, the owner can receive nearly ,000 on a 50 investment.

Energy efficient features will also enhance the market value and saleability of a home and –most importantly – improve its comfort and livability.

The 2009 and 2010 Energy Efficiency Tax Credit for home improvements is a tax credit of 30% or ,500 for energy efficient improvements that consumers make to their existing home. In order to claim the credit, the energy efficient improvements must be qualifying Energy Star-rated products and placed in service from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010.

According to the Energy Star website (www.energystar.gov):

Basically you can spend up to ,000 during this 2 year period on a single or multiple improvements, and get 30% or ,500 (30% of ,000 = ,500) back as a tax credit. If you get the entire ,500 credit in 2009, then you can’t get anything additional in 2010. The ,500 tax credit does not double for married people filing jointly… unless both spouses owned and lived apart in separate main homes.

The tax credit does not include things like caulking and weather stripping. Rather, the tax credit aids in replacing those major hardware components of a home such as windows, doors, insulation, roofs, HVAC, non-solar water heaters, or biomass (usually wood) stoves. Some installation costs are covered, such as non-solar water heaters and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC).

In addition to the credit for existing homes, there is a credit with no final cost limit for more complex yet far-efficient projects that promote energy independence: geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, electricity-producing solar panels (PV), fuel cells, and small wind energy systems. Projects like these will receive a credit of 30% of their total cost and have until 2016 to be placed in service.

The Energy Star website has wealth of information as well as links to other government websites about all the improvements covered in Bounce Energy’s report. Remember these are all upgrades that keep saving money each year. Some can be improved on further, one step at a time.

So, is the Energy Tax Credit worth it?
Bounce Energy says, “Yes, the Energy Tax Credit is worth it because an energy efficiency improvement will save energy and money and make your home more comfortable. As you can see there are many, many ways to capitalize on energy efficiency improvements to your home; from the weekend with a caulking gun to a four week wind turbine adventure with a 60 foot crane. You might even become so energy efficient you’ll be energy self-sufficient.”

This heating season, you probably want to save money on your energy use. This is especially true during this winter’s cold snap that has affected much of the country as far south as Miami and Houston. But that might not be the only reason. You might find that your home’s HVAC system is always running hard but can’t adequately heat your home. Or some rooms in your house seem cooler or hotter than others. Maybe you noticed a mold or mildew problem in a room other than your bathroom. Perhaps your water heater can’t keep up with demand. You can fix these problems by starting with a home energy audit.

How does a home energy audit work?

An energy audit looks at several specific features of your home. First, it lists the characteristics of your home’s thermal envelope: walls, ceilings, floors, doors, windows, and skylights. Each of these features has a specific R-value, which is a measurement of the resistance to heat flow. The higher the resistance (or R-value), the better the insulative quality. Another factor is the leakage rate or how much outside air infiltrates into your home. Drafty doors and windows are the primary culprits here, however, other features of your home’s construction, age, orientation to the sun, and physical condition will have an effect. A third area to look at is your home’s mechanical system – the heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) as well as the heating water.

Energy Star provides a Home Energy Yardstick website so you can compare your household’s energy use to the rest of the country. The site is a good place to start and gives some basic recommendations about making home energy efficiency improvements.

Generally, performing your own energy audit will help you discover most of the major energy usage problems in your house. For example, locating and sealing air leaks will help you save money and make your home more comfortable. An easy way is to wet your hand and then feel for drafts around:

Electrical outlets Switch plates Window frames Baseboards Weather stripping around doors Fireplace dampers Attic hatches Wall or window-mounted air conditioners.

Look and feel for gaps where pipes and wires enter a wall. Also check where your floor meets the foundation. And don’t forget mail slots. Check to see if caulking and weather stripping are applied properly and in good condition.

Every house and lifestyle, is different. It’s safe to say that climate and location are primary factors in how your home performs. The other major factor is how you use energy in your home. When combined with information about local weather, the home’s thermostat settings, as well as energy bills for a 12 month period (24 is more accurate), an energy audit can render a more accurate picture of how your home uses energy.

Unless you already have a few years experience of belly-crawling the dusty, cramped spaces of your home to weather-seal it, you should consider having a professional visit and perform an energy audit. Now you might think all an energy auditor does is seal a fan onto your front door and then prowl your house looking for drafts. Sure, they might perform this test, but not only do you get the benefit of their years of training and experience, you also gain from a fresh perspective.

Professionals can often see things you have overlooked that can help you save on your energy costs and be more energy efficient. For example, a slight discoloration along a corner of your living room wall might indicate an unsealed gap in your home’s framing that lets in cold air and moisture. This and other hidden heat loss can also be detected with heat-sensitive cameras, a tool most homeowners don’t own.

A qualified energy auditor can also give you an informed choice of options. Some fixes might just require a tube of .00 caulk to save you 0.00 in energy costs. Some fixes might be more expensive but can be done over time. An energy auditor can make recommendations for improvements and solutions based on what they learn about your living habits, needs, and budget. This can include efficient low-wattage lighting fixtures, getting the best insulation for your buck, as well was Energy Star rated appliances and upgrades so you can take advantage of both Federal and State rebate offers.

Remember, not only will an energy audit show you where to start saving money to heat your home this winter but it will identify cooling problems that cost you during the hot summer months. But whether or not you decide to do it yourself or consult a professional, you should do it as soon as possible so you can identify your home’s problems and develop a plan of action. After all, making your home energy efficient not only saves money, energy, and natural resources, it also makes your home more comfortable and enjoyable for you and your family.

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ENERGY SPRINT is produced highly innovative, thanks to its technology ENERGY SPRINT assures you force, physical energy and lies them every time that you want. ENERGY SPRINT is a Card, that you just need to carry it with you, when you want to be in full form and of energy, and put it in your drawer, when you want take a rest.

ENERGY SPRINT acts immediately, in fact you need to have it with you and to feel its benefits. In order to discover its effects you have to do physical exercises, like the test of equilibrium, and to remain surprises of the effects of ENERGY SPRINT.

The lucky people who had the possibility to try it said: “To have between the hands the Card Energy Sprint it is an unique experience, that leave you amazed because you can feel its effects immediately, in order to appreciate its effects only thing is to try it.” Also the strategy of commercialization of ENERGY SPRINT CARD is completely innovative, you can have ENERGY SPRINT CARD exclusively on invitation. They have been selected, a few number of persons “Founder “and exclusively they had the possibility to promote ENERGY SPRINT CARD. To the question of because it has been chosen this strategy the answer was” ENERGY SPRINT CARD is a so innovative and effective product, that  company were unable  to accept requests of the market ,in this way can be managed the production at best.” The only way for having ENERGY SPRINT CARD is to be lucky to know a “Founder” meantime  company advises to discover to all the innovationes becoming Fan of ENERGY SPRINT CARD on Facebook.

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Shared by Sustainable Energy

Why Are Energy Monitoring Systems Important?

There are a number of energy monitoring systems available on the market. What do these systems do? Fundamentally they monitor energy usage in a facility. This is a very vital system that many companies do not have in place. The only resource they have is their power bill that comes once a month. They look at their regular monthly costs rising, but they do not know where they can help you save energy. Imagine operating a business without an accounting system. You do not know your income or your expenditures. This is the exact same for a company with no energy monitoring system; they have not a clue that there are energy efficiencies in the organization. Now some corporations prefer to get an energy audit, instead than investing in a system. But what use is that in a year, in 5 years. Equipment improvements, consumers change and all that knowledge is lost. If you install a system that monitors energy usage, then it is there for a very extended time, and it works 24/7.

How Does It Work?
The program will assess energy utilization on phases in the main distribution panel. This is done by setting up CT’s (Current Transformers) on electrical loads in the main distribution panel. The information then is fed to an Internet based interface that will allow users to download reports, alter set-points and compare energy usage by size, location etc. In addition, energy monitoring systems can be used to authenticate energy usage reductions from “energy saving” equipment like new compressors, lighting, control systems etc.
The energy supervisor can do facility benchmarking, view energy usage by equipment type and verify financial savings from commissioned facilities. The energy monitoring system made by EG Energy Controls is capable of monitoring up to 2500 stores within the company’s network. The system can keep track of any desired electrical, gas or oil loads.
Examples of loads that can be measured are:

Main entrance, Lighting, Low and Medium temperature compressors (can monitor pending equipment failure), HVAC, Motors (can monitor pending equipment failure), Parking Lot Lights, Water usage, Oil/Propane Usage
The system will monitor equipment kWh usage and send e-mails to alert the Energy Manager of abnormal energy usage. The system will also contact the weather station daily to gather weather information to allow it to accurately predict energy usage for the next day and avoid inaccurate alerts. This is a very important feature, since the problem with some energy monitoring systems is that they send redundant emails that end up annoying people.

The other good aspect of an energy monitoring system is the capacity to foresee pending equipment failures. This is called motor performance tracking:
Motor performance. Traffic monitoring motor current levels and unbalances is a main component of a superior online monitoring system. Often it’s found that current level is identified as the average current level for all phases. For predictive maintenance reasons, however, the highest line current level developed is of much greater importance. The heat in each motor winding is interdependent on the amount of current that flows through it. Hence, the the most fragile point of the motor’s insulation with respect to current level is the phase with the largest current

Energy Monitoring and Energy Awareness

It is incredible how energy usage drops in a facility when employees know that there is a system that is monitoring what they are doing. Since the system can also be used to monitor sections of a facility, or even individual departments, people become naturally more energy conscious. For example, turning of lights when they leave the room or not leaving the computer on at night. These may seem to be minor changes; however the mindset is already being changed to become more energy conscious. These people then come to their own home and start noticing energy efficiencies, and they start doing changes in their own home.
By: Edward Herniak

About Sustainable Energy Coalition: The Sustainable Energy Coalition (SEC) brings together more than 60 national and state-level business, environmental, consumer, and energy policy organizations. Founded in 1992, the Coalition promotes increased federal support for ENERGY EFFICIENCY and RENEWABLE ENERGY technologies and reduced federal support for unsafe or polluting energy resources.

Design Requirements
Traditionally Hydropro has always put the needs of the customer into the forefront of its company philosophy. By doing this, Hydropro has always stayed abreast of the latest advancements in technology in the water treatment field. In this case, mostly because of the remote location (nearly everything, including fuel for the diesel generators, is delivered by ship), the most important customer needs were associated with conserving energy and maintaining reliability. Availability of replacement parts was also a major concern due to the remote location and the lead-time required to ship items to the island. Another concern Hydropro had to address was ease of operation and ease of maintenance, as the remote island of Ebye did not have any skilled RO plant operators. The end result would incorporate all these requirements to produce a reliable supply of potable water from a seawater source for the citizens of Ebye.

In the original RFP, KAJUR requested twin 75,000 gpd SWRO units (expandable to 100,000 gpd) designed for a seawater feed of 45,000 mg/l TDS. The proposal presented by Hydropro was for two Seawater Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment units each designed to produce 75,000 gallons per day. Permeate water was projected to be of less than 300 mg/l TDS based on feed water from seawater wells with a maximum TDS of 50,000 mg/l and an SDI of less than 3. Each unit was designed to be easily expandable to a daily capacity of 100,000 gallons by the addition of one pressure vessel containing seven seawater membranes. All instrumentation, piping, valves, headers and pumps were pre-sized to accommodate the expansion.

Each proposed SWRO system consisted of four pressure vessels containing seven membrane elements each arranged in a single, one-pass array. With the expansion, the system would consist of five pressure vessels in a single staged array. Each system was designed to operate at a 30-40% recovery rate, with a maximum trans-membrane (feed to product) pressure of 1100 psi at a feed water TDS of 50,000 mg/l. With a feed water TDS of 46,000 mg/l, the trans-membrane pressure was projected to be approximately 900 psi at startup and 950 psi after three years of operation.

System Design
The final, installed 100,000 gpd Hydropro design consisted of the following major components and unit operations for each SWRO unit:

• Sand and Particulate Filters: Two HYDROPRO Tubular filter units Model STF5M2-400- PVC/150 each consisting of one PVC housing with a 150-micron wedge wire PVC screen for the removal of sand and particles, with automatic purge valves
• Micron Filters: Three heavy-duty filter housings constructed of FRP/PVC and built to ASME Code X, the housings are Eden Model 24EFC each accommodating six (6) 40″ long five micron polypropylene cartridges
• RO High Pressure Booster Pumps: Two high pressure feed booster pumps Grundfos Model BM 17-27R (installed in series) – horizontal centrifugal, multi-stage construction of 904L Super Austenitic Stainless Steel, each driven by a 35 HP submersible type motor rated at 460V/60Hz/3Ø utilizing a Soft start motor starter and VFD RO Low Pressure Booster Pump: One booster pump Grundfos Model BM 30-4R – horizontal centrifugal, multi-stage type of 904L Super Austenitic Stainless Steel, driven by a 7.5 HP submersible type motor rated at 460V/60Hz/3Ø controlled by a variable frequency drive
• Membrane Modules: One FRP construction structural frame, five pressure vessels of FRP construction rated at 1200 psi operating pressure, 35 Thin Film Composite membrane elements ¬ 8″ x 40″, 2205 DUPLEX SS headers for feed and concentrate and Sch. 80 PVC for the permeate headers and low pressure feed, suction and concentrate piping, Allen- Bradley PLC SLC 5/04 based control system – installed in a NEMA 4X enclosure with system switches lights etc. installed on the panel door
• Chemical Feed Systems: One anti-scalant dosing system and one chlorine dosing system
• Freshwater Flush/Membrane Cleaning System

The system skid was designed and fabricated for a compact footprint due to limited installation space and to allow for shipping both units in a single container.
The entire system was pre-assembled as much as possible to minimize field services.

The sand screens and micron filters were selected because of the durable and corrosion resistant fiberglass and PVC construction. The specific model of Eden micron filters was chosen to maintain the filter element flux at approximately 3.3 gpm/per 10″ equivalent.

Due to the relative remoteness of the installation site, multistage-centrifugal, high-pressure pumps have been selected for their reliability, availability of parts, economics of operation and easy maintenance. Centrifugal pumps in general are smoother, quieter, and require less ancillary equipment (i.e. pulsation dampeners) than positive displacement pumps. Hydropro has found that positive displacement pumps are much more prone to failure and lengthily downtimes than high-quality centrifugal pumps.

The Grundfos Booster Modules were chosen for several reasons. The inline style helped conserve space and provided ease of installation, allowing everything to be mounted on the same skid (with the exception of cleaning/flush tanks, raw water booster pumps, and chemical feeds). These submersible, multi-stage centrifugal pumps were also chosen because they are very efficient and quiet, and are constructed of corrosion resistant, 904L super austenitic stainless steel.

The high pressure feed and concentrate headers were made of 2205 duplex stainless steel for superior corrosion resistance, and the structural skid was constructed of FRP for low weight and zero maintenance. ERI´s Pressure Exchanger was chosen because of its high energy efficiency, dependability, and corrosion resistant materials.

Performance
Values for the projected power consumption rates that were presented in the proposal were based on a 27ºC feed stream of 45,000 mg/l TDS and a permeate flow rate of 100,000 gpd. The membrane manufactures projection software was used to determine the system parameters at a recovery of 35%, and these parameters were subsequently used to determine the projected power consumption. The result was an anticipated feed pressure of 900 psi and a specific power consumption rate of 3.02 kWh/m³.

Once the system was installed and operating, the specific power consumption was calculated based on actual system parameters and the result was a much lower value of 2.65 kWh/m³. There were several reasons the actual value was lower, the main reason however, was the conservative design. Because of some uncertainty in the feed water quality, the SWRO system was designed with a relatively low flux (approximately 8 gpm/ft2), and a somewhat large hydraulic envelope. As it turned out, the feed water TDS was closer to 36,000 ppm and fairly stable. The lower feed TDS enabled the system to operate at a lower membrane feed pressure of 790 psi and a higher permeate flow rate of 120,000 gpd, consequently using less energy than originally projected and making higher quality permeate.

Conclusion
With most of the system assembled, the installation was fairly straightforward and went smoothly. The two units were installed, started up, tested and operator training was completed in less than three weeks. There was, however, a problem with the feed water quality and the pretreatment system, which was discovered after only 24 hours of operation. It immediately became apparent that the raw water was loaded with particulate that was quickly fouling the sand screens and the micron filters. Fortunately, the feed system could be modified to flow into an existing 250,000 gallon seawater tank from the wells, and the SWRO feed was then drawn out of this tank. This settling tank solution worked quite well and provided a feed water with a pre-filter SDI of 1.25.

There was also one other performance issue that needed to be resolved. Initially, the permeate quality was less than what was projected, and it was not clear why. The system was extensively checked ant tested for leaks, and the possibility that seawater was somehow mixing with the permeate was eventually eliminated. It was finally determined that the membranes did not meet the design rejection required to produce the projected permeate TDS. Once the membranes were replaced, the system was making plenty of high quality permeate that was well below the maximum acceptable permeate TDS.

KAJUR and the residents of Ebye have since been enjoying low-cost, high-quality water for over a year now without any noteworthy system failures. They are so pleased, in fact, that KAJUR has recently awarded Hydropro another SWRO job utilizing work exchanger energy recovery.

The most sustainable way to generate electricity is to harness the wind energy. The power that is produced by wind energy is clean as it doesn’t contribute to emission of heat trapping particles that are responsible for global warming. Apart from this its availability in abundance adds to its cost-competitive nature. It is a feasible alternative to the fossil fuels that not only add to global warming but a polluted environment.

There are many wind resources but the factors like how fast and how often it blows play a significant role in its power generation. Basically the power output as a cube of the wind speed. This means that if the wind speed doubles, the power output becomes eight times the original speed. Therefore areas where the wind speed is high are perfect for wind turbine installation. Now in case the wind speed is 7 m/s at a 10 meter height, it will be 8.5 m/s at 50 meters height. The wind speed increases at greater heights, so if you turbine tower higher, it will be able to capture more wind.

Wind energy is one of the fastest growing resources for producing electricity across the world. Despite this expansion, wind power is relatively a smaller source of electricity supply and is just about 1% to the total electricity generation in the world. This is because many people think that it is a costly project but on the contrary now-a-days generating electricity from wind power can be done by investing less than $200. This is possible because there is lots of information on making wind turbine on the Internet. However with so many manuals out there, it becomes difficult to choose the one that is appropriate and gives clear instructions. Homemade energy is good manual that gives elaborate instructions in a clear fashion. The reader doesn’t get muddled up and it is available at the cheap price of $47 only.

Many people struggling through the tough economy are not going to be able to take advantage of the 2009-10 Energy Efficiency Tax Credit simply because they can’t afford new windows and doors, water heaters, or more insulation. However, there are a few things you can do around your home to air seal it to save money during the winter months and during the summer.

Because of the price and use of energy, architects and builders now design a home to be a “thermal envelope”. That is the sum total of the home’s insulation systems including walls, ceilings, foundation, floors, windows, and doors. These work more effectively with good, tight fits that seal out the weather and air. By having a tight seal on your home’s thermal envelope, the less energy you waste or lose by exchanging it too often with the air outside.

So, with this in mind, let’s start at ground level and work our way up to seal your house.

Moisture Barrier

A moisture barrier (usually plastic sheeting) covers the earth beneath a structure to prevent moisture from infiltrating the structure from the ground. All-wooden structures last years longer if they are kept dry and out of contact with the ground. For a house, not only does it help prevent rot but it also helps keep the drier. Because moisture in the air holds heat, even during the most humid months, a moisture barrier will make your Texas home feel drier and cooler.

Most Texas homes are built on either a slab or have crawl spaces under them. Houses with slab foundations typically have concrete poured on top of a plastic moisture barrier. This limits the infiltration of moisture into the thermal envelope of the house. Homes with crawl spaces, meanwhile, feature a moisture barrier in their crawl spaces. Some older homes do not have one and these can be installed by the home owner very easily.

A moisture barrier is plastic sheeting, usually about 6-8 mils thick and is available at any hardware store, typically in sizes ranging from 25 × 25 feet to 100 × 100 feet. It also need not be one single piece of plastic. As long as the sheets overlap each other by about 6 inches or so, it will be effective.

To install, you will need to know the dimensions of your crawl space and buy enough plastic sheeting to cover the ground in that space. Simply cut the plastic sheeting to cover the earth from wall to wall, laying it flat. You can use either black or clear plastic, but I would use clear because black plastic would make your crawl space feel like a cramped version of Batman’s lair.

You should notice the difference within 24 hours. If your house feels too dry, simply fold back some of the plastic sheeting to expose the earth underneath. Continue adjusting until your home feels the most comfortable to you.

As mentioned, moisture barriers limit the infiltration of moisture into the thermal envelope of the house. The house feels drier: It will be easier to cool in the summer and less likely to develop mold or contribute to wood rot in the winter.

Mudsill and Rim Joists

The next place to check out is the mudsill. The mudsill is the board that is bolted flat on to the top of the foundation wall. An example of one is a 2×8 board bolted onto the final course of cement blocks. It provides a bed to attach the flooring joists and banding boards for the first floor of the house. Depending on how well it is installed, it can let in a lot of cold air and moisture.

Places to look for gaps is where the mudsill is fastened to the foundation. A common building practice now is to put down a plastic foam gasket over the foundation before attaching the pressure treated lumber that will be the mudsill. In older homes, either a paper-backed cellulose material was put down or nothing was used. To find gaps, get as close as possible to the mudsill from the inside and look for daylight shining through between the mudsill and the foundation wall and feel for a draft of cool air.

If your foundation is made of cement blocks, look for the vertical joints between the blocks. When these blocks are put into place, the mortar between the blocks often slumps leaving thin mortar or none at all. Over time as the house settles, holes can appear. While these might be small holes that let through tiny amounts of air, if your home has 10 or 20 of them, you’re letting in a lot of weather and insects. Seal every hole you find with silicon caulk or expanding foam.

Another place along the mudsill to look for is where the rim joists attach. The rim joist (sometimes called “banding joist”) is the piece of wood that closes off the end of the flooring joist or is the last floor joist underneath the exterior wall. The bottom edge is not necessarily an air-tight seal. In fact, I lived in one older house where there was a half-inch gap between the rim joist and mudsill. Now, while this seems small, the gap ran for the entire length of the house: 25 feet. It was the equivalent of leaving a 24 inch by 24 inch window open all the time. Some expandable foam quickly sealed this gap and there was a noticeable improvement in comfort and cost right away.

Windows

If you have double-hung wooden sash windows with storm windows that are drafty, there are several ways to make them more energy efficient.

Make sure the glazing on the glass panes of the sash windows is not cracked or crumbling. The glazing helps hold and seal the glass to the wooden window and thus blocks drafts and quiets rattling – especially from traffic. It also lessens the likelihood that the glass will break if a pet or a child presses against it. Glazing is something of a skilled art. That being said, it’s not that hard to do. Re-glazing a window yourself can save you $50 to $100 or more. All you need is glazing putty ($5), a putty knife ($2), some glaziers’ points ($2 for a box of 100) and some time.

First, remove any old, cracked, or crumbling glazing with a putty knife. Glazing putty dries to be very, very hard and will last decades. It can be loosened with a heat gun, but keep the gun moving or the heat will crack the glass.

When the old putty has been removed, remove all the old glaziers’ points. Now, lift out the pane and set it aside. Sand the channel where the pane fits on the wooden sash. Usually, I apply a thin bead of silicone caulk in this channel before replacing the glass. This helps to seat and seal the glass pane. This especially helps when working on multiple small panes (called “lights”) separated by thin or fragile wooden mullions (also called “muntins”). Next, insert new glaziers points. This is done by using the putty knife to press points into the wooden sash along the glass pane to keep it in place. Take your time so that you don’t break the glass.

Glazing putty can be purchased in either a can or a tube with a shaped tip that fits in a caulking gun. However, it does take some practice to get just the right angle and right amount of putty on the glass. When using the tube mix, keep the 45 degree angled tip steadily against the glass and lay a bead of putty the length of bottom of the pane. If you’re using the putty from the can, roll the putty into long snake (or rope) and place it along the edge of the pane and along the wood. Gently press it into position so that it forms a nice 45 degree angle with the putty knife. The putty is shaped this way so that water runs off the glass to the edge of the window sash instead of into the window pane channel where it can rot the wood.

The next thing to look for is if your windows close snugly. Both the top and bottom window have what is called a “meeting rail”. On the upper window, it is the bottom of the window and on the bottom window it is the top. These meeting rails are shaped so that they mesh together when they close. This helps seat and seal the window properly. Check to see if the bottom window runs firmly – but not tightly – along the window jamb as you close the window. If it’s too loose and wiggles back and forth, it probably won’t seat very tightly when it’s closed. You can use a putty knife to pry out the window jambs and then re-position them to improve how tightly the window will close. You might try adding felt or self-adhesive foam weather stripping. Also make sure you clean out any debris from the window to ensure the window will seat and seal snugly.

As metal storm windows age, the harder they seem to close. This usually happens because of dirt and corrosion. Make sure the window tracks are clean and free of dirt and debris so the window runs smoothly.

Outside, check that the storm window frame is held tightly in place against the wooden window frame. Screws that hold this frame in place might be loose and might need to be replaced or moved to a new spot. Most drafts from storms windows come from where the storm window frame meets the wooden window frame. Once you’re certain the storm window frame is secure, lay a bead of caulk into the seam where the metal storm window frame meets the wooden window frame. Typically, there are two slots cut into the bottom apron of the storm window frame. Do not seal these. These are weep holes that allow condensation to escape.

If you have modern, double glazed windows (windows with two panes of glass), one of the things to look out for is fogging between the panes. Double glazed windows are made by attaching a pane of glass with adhesive to either side of a half-inch wide aluminum frame either in a vacuum or a very dry environment. It is then a single unit and is installed into a standardized window frame. Fogging is a sign that the seal on the window unit has failed and water vapor has penetrated into the space between the panes. If the fogging is still present in summer, it’s a good guess that acids have also leeched in with the water vapor and have permanently etched the window glass. If the fogging disappears when the window warms, then it’s not too late to treat it. Examine the wood of the window for any discoloration from moisture. Look for peeling, flaking paint or soft, gray-colored wood. If you find some, sand it smooth and then seal it with an oil-based enamel or polyurethane. If the wood is very soft, you might try using an epoxy formulated to penetrate and preserve rotten wood. Be sure to mask the glass first with painter’s tape.

A builder installs a door or window with wedges called shims so that the window can float inside a rough opening in the framing. While this lets the door or window open and close freely as it expands and contracts during the year, it also means a lot of outside air can infiltrate your house by getting in around the window frame if it has not been insulated or if it has been damaged. During the summer, it usually isn’t a noticeable problem. During the winter, though, if you see moisture or mildew there could be a problem with the window frame.

Look outside for damage to the siding and window frame. Look for holes or wet, rotten wood, or even a loose piece of siding. It’s important to clean and seal problems like these quickly, especially if moisture has been getting inside your wall, because the damage will just worsen over time. Rotten or damaged siding can be replaced easily with new pieces from the hardware store. Rotten or damaged window sills should be completely removed and replaced and the inside of the wall inspected for mold, rot, and other damage. However, this is no small job and requires time and skills to complete. It might need the hand of a professional. For an immediate, short-term fix, clean out the rotten wood as best you can and fill the hole with fiberglass auto body putty. This will provide a hard, waterproof barrier against the weather. Be sure to contour and shape it so that it will not interfere with opening and closing the window.

If moisture or rain is getting into your window frame, check to see if any of your rain gutters run over head. Check to see if these are clogged. Also, consider installing drip edging along the top of your windows to help run water around and away from the windows and siding when it rains. After you’ve installed it, be sure to caulk it in place so moisture can’t penetrate behind it.

A lot of folks consider it hideous to put over your windows but it will keep the wind out: clear plastic sheeting. This is probably the easiest temporary energy fix owners of older homes use to keep cold, damp winter weather out. There are two approaches: Apply the clear plastic sheeting to the outside of the window by stapling it to the wood window frame and then nailing lathe over the stapled edge to secure the plastic. Or apply the plastic sheeting to double-sided tape on the inside of the window frame (usually available in kits from the home center). To be sure, neither is an attractive solution. However, if you have an older home with double-hung windows in poor condition, this short-term fix does a lot for only $10 and about 15 minutes of work. In fact, even if your windows close snugly, it might not be a bad idea for a north-facing window that doesn’t have much of a view.

Energy Efficient Window Treatments: “It’s Curtains for You!”

Curtains not only add style, color, and privacy to a room, they also act as an insulating blanket for one of the most thermally conductive parts of the house: the windows. Curtains are even more effective at sealing off a window when they have thermal backing. Thermal backing is usually foam because foam permits water vapor to move through the fabric rather than condensing on the cold side toward the window and causing moisture problems. An additional benefit to thermal curtains is that they help deaden noise from outside that is normally transmitted into the room by the window glass. In the summer, the curtains also block hot sun.

Thermal curtains can be made even more efficient by adding a valance with a top. Usually, window valances conceal the curtain hardware such as the rods and brackets. However, if the valance has a top cover, warm air that would normally circulate down between the cool glass and the back of the curtain is blocked. Valances can be made with plywood and then stained, painted, or covered in fabric.

Another option is a window quilt. These are blanket-like shade that roll down to cover the window. Some are held tightly in place by magnetic strips attached to both the quilt and the window frame.

Finally, one last accessory for the double hung window is the Window Worm. This is a fabric tube about 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter and is as long as a window is wide. It is stuffed with quilting foam or cloth scraps and laid along where the top and bottom window sashes meet to help keep out drafts. Longer ones weighted with sand can also be made and placed across the foot of doors.