Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. While it s easy to feel helpless against global warming, there are actually 8 simple things you can do at home to be part of the solution. Energy-saving fluorescent lighting has come a long way. There s a fluorescent bulb to fit almost any fixture inside and outside your home, and they re a good bet for lights that are used a lot because they last 10 times longer. If we all switched out 5 standard light bulbs for fluorescents, it would be like taking a million cars off the road for a year. Put on a sweater, set your thermostat just two degrees lower in winter and cut your carbon emissions by 9 percent. A programmable thermostat is a great energy saver, automatically lowering your heat when you re at work or asleep. Wrap your electric water heater in an insulation blanket and set it at 120 degrees. If it s time to replace your water heater, install a tankless unit for an endless supply of hot water at 40 percent savings over conventional tanks. Wash dishes and clothes only when the machines are full. When you buy an appliance, make sure it s Energy Star certified. And run it all with green power: Ask your utility company about buying your electricity from renewable sources, or visit the U.S. Department of Energy s green power web site. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Bob enters the Brownstone apartment to find more evidence of 1940s updates in this turn-of-the-century row house. Curved ceiling shapes, a built-in bar, and chopped-up space show layers that were added during the conversion of the original building. Bob meets up with his son, Chris Vila, and reviews the preparations for demolition, which include permits, shutoffs for all the gas, water, and electricity, and removal of moldings and fixtures from walls. Bob asks if any detailing from the original Brownstone remain. Chris says there is nothing -- no moldings, mantles, or ceiling details. Chris does show Bob the hardwood floors buried beneath layers of vinyl and linoleum flooring. The goal will be to peel back the layers of this 2,000-square-foot apartment until just the original shell and structure remain.

Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. We all know that switching to fluorescent lighting saves energy and money. But if it s such a good deal, why aren t we all doing it? One reason is the bad rap that fluorescent lighting has gotten from those old-style fixtures we all remember from schools and commercial buildings of decades past. T-12 type standard fixtures are infamous for humming, buzzing, flickering and giving an unflattering cast to everything they illuminate. Those older fixtures can be upgraded with an electronic ballast. They can also be replaced with the new t-8 type fluorescent fixtures that eliminate humming and flickering. T-8 type fixtures last just as long or longer because they weigh less and run cooler, and they save 40 percent on electricity. Installing them on timers or occupancy sensors saves even more energy, and that s very good for business. At home, a lighting upgrade is much simpler. Now you can find a compact fluorescent bulb to fit almost any fixture in your home. While they may take a few seconds to warm up, they produce more accurate color and less glare than standard bulbs, which reduces eye strain and headaches. A new generation compact fluorescent bulb will cost more than a regular incandescent bulb anywhere from $5 to $25. But each one can save you $100 in electricity and last up to 13 times longer. As if that weren t motivation enough, some utilities offer free light bulbs or rebates for homeowners who are willing to make the switch. Best of all, upgrading your lighting saves greenhouse gas emissions. Replacing just one 75-watt light bulb with an 18-watt compact fluorescent can keep one ton of carbon dioxide emissions and 20 pounds of sulfur oxide out of the atmosphere. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008