It would be nice to have the things that Jra mentioned but I know, from experience, even the items we could get a tax break on if we could install, it didn't allow me to have the money to do this while educating my kids or simply trying to raise them. For years we had a butane heater because it was far less expensive to operate. At the cost of wood made putting in a wood stove was out of the question. Solar energy would have been nice but salt water has a way of destroying those before they can pay for themselves. Adding insulation helps but it doesn't solve all the problems. For years builders have been building crap they call houses. Slabs that crack or sink breaking the pipes, lumber that I wouldn't want put into a shed, the bare minimum of insulation, and yet they have built these houses and put a huge pricetag on them. To get one built correctly and to last and be energy efficient is out of the question for many homeowners.

I don't have the answers. Government insisting and demanding more efficient building would be nice but who will be able to pay for these homes? Many are living day to day just trying to keep a roof over their head now.