After a light snowfall, take a look at your roof in the morning as the sun rises to see how energy efficient your home is. If the snow is already melting, that means heat is rising to the attic's roofline and melting the snow. This means one thing: a poorly insulated attic. If the roof still has an even coating of snow all the way around, it means your home is efficient and your attic floor is airtight and well-insulated. Sometimes you can even see clear patterns where heat is escaping and warming parts of the roofline, which will give you a clear guideline where leaks are and where you need to add insulation.

Just because a food item is stamped "organic" does not necessarily mean it's healthier or better for you. When it comes to liquors like tequila and vodka, there are no added health benefits in buying certified organic. The reality is, hard liquor -- conventional or organic -- is not healthy for you and should be enjoyed in moderation, but the distillation process removes trace pesticides. The only exception to this rule is wine. When it comes to a good glass of vino, organic wines are better than conventional wines, since preservatives like sulfites cannot be added to the wines if they are certified organic. Only naturally occurring sulfites are in organic wines, and for people who have allergic reactions to sulfites, organic wine may be the way to go.

If you dread ironing clothes, here's a simple tip to speed up the process and help you save energy: Remove the fabric cover from your ironing board and cover it with a few sheets of aluminum foil. Then place the fabric cover on top of the foil. When you iron, the heat will be transferred to the aluminum foil and reflect back to the surface, creating a dry, hot surface that doubles the efficiency and halves the time when you iron. If you ever need to take the aluminum foil off, just toss it in the recycling bin.