Reducing your home's heating load leads to greater energy efficiency and lower utility bills. One way to minimize the amount of energy your heating system must generate to keep your home comfortable that's often overlooked is to use well-designed landscaping.

Winter in Massachusetts is chilly and fuel prices tend to be high, showing no sign of lowering. To make the most out of your energy budget, try these cost-cutting measures to lower your heating bill:

Air leaks in your home can cost you money by letting cold air out and hot air in at the wrong times.

One way to lower your home's cooling bills is to reduce its heat gain, much of which occurs through your windows. While sunshine pouring in during cooler months is welcome, it's not so welcome in the summer -- when you have to pay to cool the air that the ultraviolet rays warm.

It almost sounds too good to be true: a label – and a prominent one that you cannot miss -- that helps you choose qualified products that provide long-term savings.

Summer vacations are the highlight of the year for many people. The excitement of preparing and planning for the event can take weeks or even months. Every step of the vacation from the lodging to activities to food is carefully planned to avoid problems. One part of preparation for vacation that is often overlooked, however, is home maintenance.

A thermostat may control the temperature in your house, but who gets to control the thermostat? If you find yourself having to constantly reset the thermostat after another family member changes it, or if you have parts of the house that are consistently too cold or too hot, you may want to look into having a zoning system installed.

Nobody knows better than you, the homeowner: If you think your home is drafty, it probably is. So confirm your suspicions by conducting a home energy audit, which will help you identify leaks, and pinpoint where you can make appropriate upgrades. Doing so could save you up to 30 percent on your energy bill, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

If you’re sealing air leaks in your home, you’re probably aware of how much household energy they can drain. But are you aware of the worst culprits? While sealing cracks around doors and windows is important, make sure not to ignore the attic and the attic hatch.

An inefficient crawlspace can be likened to a hole in the bottom of a boat. Even if you plug up all the leaks in the sides of boat, it's still going to take on water.

Crawlspaces can be big energy wasters or savers, depending on several factors.