Homeowners are constantly looking for ways to save money when it comes to their monthly and annual utility expenses. Now more than ever, there are a wide array of opportunities available to residents of Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., to give their properties energy-efficient overhauls that will pay off both in the long and short term.

With average interest rates on fixed-rate mortgages at or near all-time lows, homeowners are finding that by refinancing their home loans, they can save significantly on their monthly payments. With those savings, they can invest in projects that improve their home's energy efficiency, which will contribute to a monthly decrease in household expenses.

There is also a tax credit available through the federal government that will give homeowners up to $500 back if they have improved their property's energy efficiency over the past year. Congress recently passed legislation that would allow homeowners who undergo such projects in 2013 to enjoy similar tax deductions on next year's forms. This means that if you already filed your taxes for 2012 but started a project to improve your home's efficiency at the end of last year that bled into 2013, you can still get your money back next January.

The energy efficiency tax credit applies to some types of water heaters, furnaces, insulation, windows, roofs, heat pumps, boilers and central air conditioning units. If you choose appliances that feature the Energy Star label, these too may go towards qualifying your household for a tax break.

When I was a kid growing up in Los Angeles, I never saw a ceiling fan in my friends’ homes. We called them “swamp coolers,” and they appeared as props in movies that were set in the deep South or in Casablanca.

While I never saw a real one as a kid, ceiling fans date back to the late 1800’s, when they were originally powered by water. In 1882, Philip Diehl, the German-American inventor of the motor for Singer sewing machines, adapted his sewing machine motor for the ceiling fan. Electric ceiling fans grew in popularity and were quite commonplace in both America and abroad by the 1920’s. Movies from the 20’s often feature them in restaurants and hotel lobbies.

Between the 1930’s and 1950’s in the U.S., however, the fans went out of vogue. Thus, my lack of experience with them as a child (which dates me as a Baby Boomer!) However, with the oil shortages of the 1970s, we started to wake up to the cost of electricity, and the fans experienced a revival. Since the 1970’s their popularity has gone up and down, but has been in uptrend since about 2000, when energy conservation again became a priority. If you would like to save energy and money, check out how ceiling fans can save energy and money in both summer and winter.

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Have you been mulling over your electric bill and dreaming of it just going away? Then you remember you like lights and hot showers and your microwave and you pay the bill. Cutting your electrical bill in half or making it disappear altogether is a possibility when you switch over to renewable energy. You can’t go anywhere today or read a paper or magazine without seeing or hearing the term. What is renewable energy? An electrician in Los Angeles is prepared to explain the ins and outs. If you still have questions, you can call The Electric Connection.

Renewable energy is any type of energy that comes from something that will always be replenished. It won’t run out. Currently, our world depends on coal, gas and oil. These things cannot be produced. Once they are gone, they are gone. The natural resources will run out one day, which is why there is such a huge push for renewable energy sources. A Los Angeles electrician can explain the different kinds of renewable energy in more detail. With technology constantly advancing, there always seems to be some new and improved way to harness the energy from renewable resources.

The most common form of renewable energy that is used for residential purposes is solar. The energy from the sun is harnessed and converted into the electricity your home needs. Cities are currently using wind turbines to generate the electricity needed for their needs. These turbines turn when the wind blows. The spinning blades produce energy that is transformed into electricity. It isn’t unheard of for a home to have its own personal turbine to produce the energy needed to power the home. It can all be a bit technical, but you can leave it all up to an electrician. Los Angeles homeowners who want to learn more about renewable energy can call The Electric Connection.