Replacing an old filter can save as much as 5 percent on your heating costs.

The existing basement floor was a cold concrete slab that will now have ceramic tile floor installed over radiant heat mats. Bob talks with Kevin Murray from NuHeat Inc. about the electrical radiant heating pads. The pads go underneath the tile and can reach a temperature of about 92 degrees. Using the pads to heat a room uses about the same amount of electricity lighting the room. The pads plug into a programmable thermostat so the heating can be set to come on at regular times during the day. Murray then demostrates how the pad is installed. First, it is dry-fitted to the floor and set to fit the general area. The pad is then affixed to the floor using an adhesive mud. After the mud has been put on the concrete and the pad set in place, a float is used to press it down. The pad is made of a porous polycarbon fabric. After all the pads are put in place, the tile setter can put in the mastic and tile. Mike Blangiardi from Portsmouth Quality Flooring set and grouted the tile after letting the thinset sit for 24 hours. The homeowners selected a DalTile ceramic tile for the laundry and bathroom area. The homeowners should wait another 24 hours once the grout is complete before using the room.

Bob meets with Meredith Schelp from Mitsubishi Electric HVAC to learn about the City-Multi HVAC system that will heat and cool the Manhattan Brownstone floor-through apartment. This system allows for simultaneous heating and cooling of separate zones throughout the apartment, so that a busy kitchen can be cooled while a quiet den or bedroom receives heat. The system uses outdoor and indoor units with variable drives to accommodate delivery demands. There will be three units installed in the apartment, each above the ceiling in vestibules where the ceilings can be dropped to hide them. Joseph Yannaco of Polar Mechanical Corporation explains that the interior units control the temperature and delivery of the conditioned air. The thermostatic controls run on sensors, so there's no need to keep the panels mounted visibly on interior walls. Ducts carry the heated or cooled air throughout the apartment.

Bob meets with Erling Andersen of AIM (Andersen International Marketing) in the basement of the modern Colonial to discuss the heating system. The Boiler Room in a Box has just arrived in its crate, fully assembled and ready to hang on the wall. Although the gas-fired system has a very small footprint, it has a 175,000 btu boiler and can heat a 4,000 sq. ft. New England home. The water heated by the boiler is distributed throughout the house in two ways: through radiant baseboard and in-floor radiant tubing. The slimline baseboard is made of aluminum and copper with the water distributed through PEX tubing. In rooms with no space for baseboard, such as the kitchen, the heated water runs through special PEX tubing with an aluminum core that is suspended between the floor joists using plastic nail clips. Bob points out that the home's structural system comes with pre-drilled holes to facilitate the tubing installation. Once the radiant tubing has been run between all the joists, reflexive insulation is nailed up into each void effectively creating heat ducts between the joists.

…operating cost for each appliance so you can compare them yourself. Exclusive EnergyWise House Video Report Energy Efficient Appliances - Bob Vila and Steve Easley take a sneak peak at a few of the appliances that will be used in the EnergyWise…

Bob Vila and Steve Easley take a sneak peak at a few of the appliances that will be used in the EnergyWise House. A Kenmore He3t ENERGY STAR washer and dryer will handle laundry chores, and Kenmore Elite Energy Star appliances will be outfitted in the kitchen.

…secondary cooking space. Grills Go Green Even when it comes to grilling, consumers are considering more energy-efficient appliances that do not harm the environment. Although the most popular style of grilling uses propane gas which emits…

The green movement is in full swing: from organic foods at the market to energy-efficient appliances to greener cleaning products for the home both indoors and out eco-minded thinking when buying for the home is not just for environmental…