My electric bill is slightly lower per square foot with central air than it was when I lived in an apartment with a window unit (which, I have to add, was a new Energy Star appliance).

For anyone looking to green his or her home in a serious way, installing a solar water heater may be a good first step.

Solar water heaters offer tons of incentive to purchase. The prospect of paying essentially nothing to heat the water in my home is pretty thrilling, even if we weren’t in a recession.