The national average price for gas is hovering right around $4/gallon, and it went up for 40 straight days! We certainly get an eye-opening experience when we fill our tanks up with gas. And some interesting, but probably not surprising, trends have developed.

First, smaller and more fuel-efficient automobiles are selling faster and better than they ever have. Chevrolet’s Cruze was one of the most popular automobiles sold in the month of April, and Ford’s Focus sales were up 22%.

What does this mean? It means we as a country are adjusting to the rising fuel costs and, for the most part, we are expecting these fuel prices to keep increasing. It also means that homeowners have to take the lead in helping manage these rising fuel prices.

Every one of us, as homeowners, need to think about energy conservation. Many of us think we can’t afford replacement windows or reflective insulation, But having new energy-efficient windows or reflective insulation installed is similar to purchasing a fuel-efficient vehicle.

We all know fuel prices (in the very best near-term scenario) are just going to level out. To continue letting energy pour out of our homes can be compared to driving a vehicle that gets six miles/gallon. Some people can do it, but the majority of us just can’t.

So when we are struggling with the decision to upgrade the energy efficiency of our homes, realize that it isn’t just about investing in the value of our homes anymore. It’s also about making homes conserve energy—and two of the most proven ways to conserve energy are by upgrading to high-performance windows and reflective insulation.