It's that time of year again. Temperatures are dropping, and household debates around the thermostat are heating up. Keeping your living space comfortably warm without wasting energy — and money — can be a tough balance to strike, especially since some of us like it warmer than others. But no matter how different our ideas of 'room temperature' might be, there are a surprising number of things we can all agree on. Here are a few talking points that can help peacefully resolve home heating arguments.

Does cranking up the heat warm up the house faster? Nope, not according to the Energy Star program. It's better to just set the thermostat to the level you'd like it to reach. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) suggests no higher than 72 degrees for when people are home.

If you turn down the heat, don't you use a lot of energy warming up the house again? No. The DOE says you use much more energy by leaving the heat turned up all day while you're gone. In fact, it only takes a few minutes to warm your house once you turn the heat back up and you burn surprisingly little energy in doing so.

How low can you safely turn down the heat? Even if there's no one home, you should leave the heat up high enough at all times that you're not in danger of the pipes freezing. This DOE page recommends keeping the temperature above 50 degrees.

  How much money does turning down the heat really save? It depends on a lot of factors, but a rule of thumb suggested by both the Alliance to Save Energy and the DOE is that for each degree you turn down the thermostat, you can save about 3 percent on your heating bill.

Do we have to keep it so cold in here!?! If you're keeping your house colder than you'd like because it saves energy, make sure you've considered all the options. It's not as hard as you might think to save energy, save money and make your home more comfortable all at the same time. Here are a couple of ideas:

• Install a programmable thermostat — or adjust the settings if you already have one — so that the temperature kicks on about 15 minutes before you typically arrive home each day. That way you save a lot of energy but don't have to come home to a cold house. You can do the same thing at night.
• Turn down the thermostat at night, but stay warm by piling on the blankets and using an electric mattress pad. Gary Reysa calculated significant savings for this practice on his Build it Solar site.
• Step away from the thermostat! Turning down the heat is probably the most obvious way to save on your heating bills, but there are dozens of others, and many of them will make your home more comfortable. Here is a good place to get started, and here are a few other places to look for ideas.

Do you know of other good resources to learn more about saving energy at home? You can post them in the comments section below.

The new Mother Earth News Green/Natural Building Directory is now available online. We've invited hundreds of green builders to include their information in the directory. Take a look and you'll find builders who specialize log homes, timber frame homes, structural insulated panels (SIPs), insulated concrete forms (ICFs), stick-frame homes, domes, straw bale homes, cordwood homes, cob homes, adobe homes, yurts and tipis. There are frequently new listings.

If you own or manage a green or natural building business, add your information to the directory, too.

Ever wondered what kind of places use wind power? Check out the links below for a few examples. These 25 very different places all get some or all of their energy from wind power.

1. Hersheypark, Hershey, Penn.
2. Sacred Heart Monastery, Richardton, N.D.
3. Marina Nature Center, Berkeley, Calif.
4. Mackie's Ice Cream Shop, Scotland
5. Ski Resort, Vail, Colo.
6. Betty's Hope Sugar Mill and Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill, Caribbean
7. Maple Honda Dealership, Canada
8. Pioneer Millworks, Farmington, N.Y.
9. Pizza Fusion, Florida
10. Great Western Hospital, Swindon, Great Britain
11. Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc., Cohoes, N.Y.
12. New Belgium Brewery, Ft. Collins, Colo.
    
13. City of Varese, Italy
14. Audubon New York
15. Highball Distillery, Portland, Ore.
16. Only Natural Pet Store, Boulder, Colo.
17. Calgary Light Rail, Canada
18. Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, South Dakota
19. Southface Energy Institute, Atlanta, Ga.
20. City of Houston
21. Solrose Studios, Santa Barbara, Calif.
22. Green House Data, Cheyenne, Wyo.
23. Strosniders Hardware Stores, Maryland
24. Earthology Records, Hinckley, Minn.
25. John Masters Organics, New York

 Do you know of other wind-powered places? Share them in the comments section below.

People often find very different solutions to the same problems. Many of us want to be less dependent on fossil fuels, and there are many ways to achieve that goal — some rely on old-fashioned tools, while others tap the very latest technology.

For example, my current choice in eco-friendly lighting is to use energy efficient light bulbs. You could go one step further and power them with solar energy. But other people might prefer a completely non-electric solution, such as an old-style oil lamp that burns renewable fuels, such as vegetable oil.

Whatever your preferences, many of the tools for energy-efficient living simply aren't available at your local hardware store. So where do you find them? At Mother Earth News, two online sources where we often look for these types of products are Lehman's, and Real Goods.  Lehman's offers more low-tech and non-electric options, while Real Goods specializes in renewable energy related products, but there is some overlap in the types of products offered by the two companies.

You can browse either catalog online. If you'd like a paper catalog, Lehman's charges a small fee for their complete non-electric catalog. Real Goods will send you a catalog for free, but they also sell their more detailed Solar Living Source Book that has both general information about how to power your home with renewable energy, and specifics about products that Real Goods sells.

Do you know of other good sources for sustainable living tools? You can post them in the comments section below.

The Prime Minister of Spain recently announced the intent of the Spanish government to subsidize green homes and extend credit to people who reduce their home energy use. You can read more here or here.

Do you think it's time for the United States to do the same? Post comments below.

This past weekend, on a return flight home from a brief vacation to Colorado, I gazed out of the small airplane window and watched the sun set. The sky turned from pink to purple to deep blue, and soon I began to notice twinkling lights far below. As we started our descent into Kansas City international airport, I was treated to a show of more Christmas lights than I could have fit into several nights' worth of driving around and 'ooh-ing' and 'aah-ing.'

I was thrilled to see such enthusiastic displays of holiday cheer — but then thought; 'I wonder how much money and electricity we all waste during the holidays?' Turns out, we waste a lot. According to Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a season's worth of decorative holiday lighting can add as much as $70 to your electric bill. If you're looking for a money-saving solution, spring for LED (light-emitting diode) strands: The bright bulbs add as little as $0.43 to your total holiday bill. Most LED strands average only about $5 to $7 more than incandescent bulbs, and can last for up to 20 years. They can be found at many major retail stores (like here, at Target.)

If you're looking to cut out electricity usage all together, solar-powered LED strands are also available. These strands are pricier, but require no messy extension cords and, obviously, no power costs. Strands like these can run for 6 to 8 hours on one day's charge, lighting the way for Santa with ease all while making Mother Earth smile! Do you have other alternative lighting solutions? Have you found a great deal on LED lights? Share your comments in the comments field below.

Did you know that you can hook up a generator to your bicycle and create electricity every time you pedal?

Recently, students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) developed a bike that can power a laptop. When it's pedaled the stationary bike provides energy to a generator, which in turn charges a battery. In this case the students designed the bike to hold a laptop. The seat and 'arm' that holds the laptop can be adjusted for any person. The students are now trying to get the bike installed in the fitness center on campus.

This is not the only pedal-powered device around. The Pedal & Power phone charger can attach to a normal bike. As you go out for your afternoon ride you can charge your cell phone, digital camera, GPS or anything else that can be charged by a cigarette lighter. 

Windstream has created two types of human-powered generators. Both types use bikes but one is a stand that hooks up to a normal bike and one attaches to a bike (either stationary, or made to be stationary) to charge a battery. Windstream says pedal power setups were first introduced in 1978 and they are sold mostly to schools or museums that want to show how energy is made from human exertion.

In places without reliable electricity pedal power is used daily. Maya Pedal is an organization in Guatemala that uses this power for sustainable development. The members of this group have created everything from a mill degrainer to a nut sheller to a washing machine.

The 'Go Green' contest from Treehugger, Popular Science and Instructables also produced a human-powered generator. The winner constructed a generator that will power your television, cell phone and laptop.

Humboldt State University in California provides a how-to guide for creating pedal powered devices. It includes explanations of the two different types of devices, electrical and mechanical, and tells you how to make your own.

Have you ever tried pedal power? Share your story in the comments section below.

When it's cold outside, who doesn't love a cozy fireplace or woodstove? Wood heat is a comfortable way to warm your home, and there are many reasons it's a practical choice, too.

For one thing, in many parts of the United States and Canada firewood is abundant and inexpensive. Another benefit is that it's a reliable source of power, because unlike most other heat sources, it doesn't rely on electricity. If you heat with wood, even during a blackout, your home will stay warm.

Choosing wood heat is a good option for the environment, too. Burning wood does release some pollutants, but EPA-certified woodstoves are very clean burning. And wood is both a renewable source of fuel, and carbon neutral.

 Whether you're considering buying a woodstove, or just wondering how to get the greatest benefit from your fireplace, a few simple tips can make it easier to work with firewood and help you heat your home more efficiently. Check out these helpful resources for more information.

Different Types of Wood Heat

Guide to Woodstoves. When choosing a woodstove, there are a few basic options to consider.

Wood Cookstoves. This single appliance can be used for cooking, heating and heating water.

Fireplaces and Heat. Fireplaces can either heat your home, or be a net loss of heat. Find out how to get the most efficient use out of your fireplace.

Pellet Stoves. Here's the lowdown on this popular type of heater, including past concerns with supplies of pellets.

Outdoor Wood Boilers. This type of wood heater is about to get cleaner and more efficient.

 Tips for Working with Firewood

How to Chop Wood. Follow these tips to make chopping wood easier and safer.

How to Stack Firewood. Correctly stacking wood will help it dry faster.

The Monster Maul. Learn more about this favorite tool for splitting wood. It's no longer available, but here's where you can find a very similar tool.

Collected Advice from Mother Earth News Readers. More than two dozen homesteaders weigh in on their experiences with wood heat.

Do you have more tips for heating with wood? You can list them in the comments section below.

Are you hoping to attend a hands-on green building seminar or workshop in 2008? Here are links to a few that have caught my eye in the last few months.

 Earthwood Building School (cordwood and timber framing)

 Kleiworks (Ashevillage Building Convergence)

 Canelo Project (straw bale, etc.)

 Solar Energy International (solar, wind, hydro)

 Natural Homes (straw bale construction; some old entries, scroll down)

 University of Colorado at Boulder (scroll down, links are in the right column)

 Yestermorrow (lots of options)

Lately I've been writing quite a bit about what's happening in Washington, D.C. It's not so much that I have a one track mind as that Congress has been busy debating legislation that will have a real impact on the environment — especially on energy use. If you're an environmentalist, now is a good time to pay attention to what's happening on Capitol Hill.

What happens with the energy bill and the Lieberman-Warner climate bill will make a big difference in how far this country goes to make cars more efficient, expand the use of renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It's a good time to call or write your elected representatives and let them know what you think about these issues.

You can follow all the latest developments in the newspapers, but here are a couple of other handy places to turn for the latest on these two bills:

• Good sources of information on the energy bill include the Union of Concerned Scientists and Renewable Energy Access.

• Grist is doing a play by play of the Lieberman-Warner climate bill. (And while you're there, be sure to check out their extensive series on How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic.)

• Use these links to contact your representatives in the U.S. House and Senate.

• Check out this helpful cheat sheet from Project Vote Smart explaining how a bill becomes a law.

• Looking for all the official details? Try THOMAS, a database of legislation from the Library of Congress.

Do you know of other helpful resources for following environmental legislation? You can paste them in the comments field below.

Glass has a lot of great qualities. It's made primarily of sand. There aren't issues of chemical off-gassing (at least not after it's cooled). It's recyclable.

Shouldn't we use it more frequently for a building material?

We lose a lot of energy from our houses through the window panes, so glass probably isn't the best choice for exterior walls, but consider the beautiful and durable floor tiles made of recycled glass that are available. What about a counter top made of glass? Do you have another use for recycled glass? Share your ideas below.

Wind energy is the nation's fastest-growing form of renewable energy. Despite sometimes heated debates (even here at Mother Earth News) about the aesthetics of wind farms and the reliability of wind power, according to Business Week, in the past five years, output from wind farms has grown tenfold. Today, wind farms meet 1 percent of U.S. energy needs. Advocates of wind energy say wind could someday supply 10 percent of all U.S. electricity, as it does already in countries like Spain.

One of the largest complaints about wind (and solar) energy is a lack of constant supply. If the wind stops blowing, people depending on the breeze are in trouble — or are they? A group of Midwest utilities outside of Dallas Center, Iowa, is currently working on technology that could solve the problem of storing wind energy by tucking it away underground. The system works by funneling compressed air into a deep well. Thousands of feet below the surface of the Earth, the compressor pumps air into layers of sandstone. The porous sandstone acts essentially like a big balloon, and when wind supply is low, the flow is reversed and the chamber empties, bringing a whoosh of air back up the pipe and into a natural-gas-fired turbine.

This isn't a distant pipe dream, either; the project began in 2003 and is expected to go online in 2011. There are already two compressed-air storage facilities operating in the world (one on Germany and one in Alabama), but they are not driven by wind turbines.