Sierra Club Green Home

Those of us with fireplaces and wood stoves have been basking in the glowing embers and brilliant red, orange, and yellow flames of burning wood and pellets. All that comfort and joy can come to a tragic end though if your chimney has not been properly cleaned of creosote, soot, and other residues. Hot smoke can ignite these materials inside the chimney. Also, toxic smoke and carbon monoxide, which is undetectable to humans, can enter your home. (Photo by Kgreggain, Stock.Xchng)

Utilities and energy providers across the nation are turning to personalized home electricity reports to help customers save money on their utility bills and reduce their carbon emissions. These easy-to-understand reports provide customers with information about their energy use compared to people with homes of similar square footage in similar climates. See how they work. (Photo by Jannoon028, Freedigitalphotos.net)

Panasonic Eco Technology Center (PETEC) is an unusual recycling facility in many ways. Since it started operations in 2001, PETEC has recycled more than 8 million units of appliances. Take a look at how it does so and why Japan’s unique recycling law has helped PETEC earn its sucess.

Japan is known for being high tech, and thanks to companies such as Panasonic, its high tech is going green. Take a look at Panasonic’s eco innovations for the smart home of the future and the smart city the company plans to complete by 2013. (Illustration courtesy of Panasonic)

KUSATSU, JAPAN — In the United States, Panasonic Corporation is known for electronics, not for its home appliances which are a familiar brand in Asia. The company is taking big steps, however, toward providing green solutions for living, including both “do-it-yourself” tips as well as Panasonic technology for the home.

The one question that comes up time and time again from homeowners is: “What steps can I can take to lower my home energy costs?” Here are some tips to help you look at your energy consumption and things you can easily change.

SAN JOSE, CA — San Jose’s Clean Energy Showcase displays solar, wind, and electric vehicle technologies to the public from a display across City Hall. Close to 6,000 people have toured the showcase since it opened in December of last year, including local schoolchildren, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, and a group of Russian entrepreneurs. (Photo courtesy of the City of San Jose)

Cities run entirely on solar power, countries generating electricity through volcanoes, and hotels built underground to keep cool are not fantasies of the future—they exist right now, in some of the most remarkable green-pioneering places. (Photo courtesy of TripBase, Inc.)

Editor’s Note: October is National Energy Awareness Month. Take a look at your home’s energy use and how you can take advantage of incentives for efficiency.

Federal tax credits for upgrading your home with energy efficient items, from windows and doors to insulation and heating systems, are going away at the end of this year. Read about the future of these incentives and what you can do to get some money back on purchases you make now to increase your home’s energy efficiency and save money on your energy bills in the future. (Photo courtesy of Simonton Windows)

Solar panels and small wind turbines generate energy for the home—and excess energy can be sold back to the grid. Geothermal pumps also heat and cool the home, harnessing the earth’s temperature deep beneath the foundation. Here’s how to get started with these residential renewables. (Photo by Jon Callas on Flickr)