One thing you can count on is the weather, it will either be good or bad. It is always different than expected, and won't do what the pundits predict. One of my favorite one liners is "weathermen were invented to make economists look good," and it's probably true. Global warming, global cooling, who knows, definitely not the "experts". I clearly remember not so long ago, during Jimmy Carter's era, a real fear of significant global cooling, the next ice age was only a few years in the future. Well, I guess they were right, weathermen do make economists look good.

We've been lucky this year with a pretty mild winter with low natural gas costs on top, making it pretty good for most people. But who knows what February will hold, or March? We could still make up for all the nasty cold weather in the next couple months - who knows. I think the only thing you can do is be thankful for what you have today, hope for what may come tomorrow, and be prepared if things don't quite go the way you hoped.

Sealing up your home with high performance vinyl replacement windows, new entry doors, and a good check and sealing of all cracks and holes in your home will go a long way in making you more prepared for what may come in the future. With the milder winter, it is a great time to think about new windows right now. Most home improvement dealers are slower at this time of year, are offering specials and deals to keep their crews working, and the weather is mild enough to get the work done now and not have to wait until spring. If you've already done all of this, think about the newest energy saver, reflective insulation for your attic. It really works and offers a great return on investment.

What a difference a year makes - sounds familiar but just think about the weather we were all "enjoying" a year ago. Most of us had record snows, extremely cold temperatures and all in all, a really terrible winter. And then it didn't get any better, it went right into an unsettled spring with torrential rains and flooding, tornadoes all over, even in areas that seldom see them. Then into summer with hurricanes - the first major to go the whole way up the east coast - and tropical storms and thunderstorms with hail and damaging winds galore.

I was thinking earlier today about how chilly it was outside and then I thought back to last year. Yes, it is a little chilly, but I'll take the weather so far in 12 over any we had in 11. Thinking about weather gets me thinking about energy bills. It sounds like we are all going to get a break if we are using natural gas this year, even electricity that is generated from natural gas is to be cheaper. But not heating oil for sure, and not most electricity, so energy costs are still a big chunk of most of our household budgets and one of if not the biggest unknown to plan for. Most of your other costs are pretty much fixed, but heating and cooling costs can sneak up and take a major bite out of your budget unexpectedly.

The best way I know to combat that fear is to insulate your house to the best of your ability. Reflective insulation added to good quality levels of traditional batten or foam is a great start. Then evaluate your windows and doors for air tightness and high quality energy saving glass options and energy performance. Make sure the frames are strong and secure - I highly recommend vinyl frames -as they are impervious to almost all the elements can throw at them. Then do the visual check of all the exterior walls for any cracks or holes and get them sealed up tight.

If you have top quality high performance windows and doors, maximum insulation values, and the house sealed up tight - you can then minimize the hits you will get in the future on energy costs forever.

I read a very interesting article this morning, “Realtors Identify Exterior Replacement Projects as Best Investment for Homeowners.” It has some really good information that all homeowners would be interested in knowing! A couple of the main points of the article are as follows:

1. A recent survey of Realtors found that realtors rated many exterior improvements as among the most valuable home investment projects as part of the “2011-12 Remodeling Cost versus Value Report.”
2. According to the report, seven of the top 10 most cost-effective projects nationally in terms of value recouped are exterior replacement projects.
3. One window replacement project — upscale vinyl — rounded out the last exterior replacement project in the top 10, expected to recoup 69.1 percent of costs.

That last number is pretty amazing! Many people believe remodeling projects aren’t worth the price—but research is telling a different story. Homeowners might want to take that last point into consideration and begin researching premium vinyl replacement windows, since they could possibly recoup more than two-thirds of their costs upon resell. Plus there are the added benefits of better comfort and energy savings that a high-quality window project can bring to people who are staying in their homes longer. It’s really a win-win for homeowners.

To read this entire article, visit http://www.dwmmag.com/index.php/realtors-identify-exterior-replacement-projects-as-best-investment-for-homeowners/