10 Questions for . . . Robert Lenney, Gutter Expert

In this installment of 10 Questions for . . . , Associate Editor Gian Trotta talks with Robert Lenney, a cofounder of California-based Gutterglove and a former certified arborist. In December 2007,  Lenney and partner John Lewis received a patent for their Gutterglove gutter-guard system, which uses a fine stainless-steel mesh stretched across anodized aluminum panels.

You've cleaned many gutters in your time. How should a homeowner start planning the task?
Always think about safety first; don't just go jump on the roof and start tossing out handfuls of gunk. Pick a day when it hasn't rained for a few days; if that's not possible, wait until midmorning, after the sun has dried out the roof.

Do you recommend any special clothing?
I recommend wearing durable pants like jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. Tuck your shirt into your pants—when you're up on a ladder or on a roof, balance is everything, and if a loose end of clothing catches on something, it can cause a fall. Tucking the bottom of your pants into your socks also protects against wasps crawling up your pants leg.

I certainly agree about the wasp hazard; I got stung on my last gutter-cleaning foray. What about gloves?
Leather rather than cotton or rubber gloves give better protection—there are a lot of sharp edges in a gutter. Also, you might encounter some very distasteful substances—pigeon droppings are a prime example—that can cause bacterial infections or leave a lingering smell on your hands. I also recommend some kind of eye protection, either goggles or safety glasses.

When it comes to ladder safety, what precautions do you observe?
There are some precautions to observe with all ladders. Try to set an extension ladder so about 3 feet of it extends above the roofline. While the ladder might feel secure when you step on it, there might be a gopher hole or loose soil under the leg and it could cave in as you climb up. So very lightly jump up and down a few times on the first rung to seat the ladder well before climbing up. If the ladder has a shelf, you can keep a five-gallon bucket on it, securing the bucket with a lanyard.

Inspect the ladder carefully to make sure it's working properly. Be sure the hinge arms on a stepladder and spring hooks on an extension ladder are fully locked. Check that the ladder's rungs and sides aren't  split or bent or loose and that screws and bolts are secure—ladders held together with rivets are usually better in this regard.

(Here are some additional guidelines from the experts at Consumer Reports: Ladders are categorized by weight ratings; we recommend that you get a heavy-duty type 1A. For gutters above 17 feet you should use a conventional extension ladder. Choose a fiberglass or wooden ladder where electricity is a factor, and remember that any ladder can conduct electricity when it’s wet. Extension ladders should be set up with the base 1 foot away from the wall for every 4 feet the ladder reaches up—that's 3 feet at the base for a 12-foot ladder, or roughly a 75-degree angle. For lower gutters, you can use a stepladder or multiuse ladder. No matter which ladder you have, always follow manufacturers directions for setup. For more ladder-safety advice, read our safety tips.) 

What other specialized tools should be used?
Don't use that heavy metal planter scoop from your garden kit or an old spatula. They can scratch steel gutters and give rust and opportunity to form. They can also damage the caulking used on seams of other types of metal gutters.

Those plastic orange gutter scoops sold in stores have one nice quality: Their tips are thin and flexible, so they conform to the contours of your particular gutter style. The downside is they're not as strong as a metal tool, so we go through a lot of them in a season. But the average homeowner should get a few years out of a scoop.

Tip of the Day: Fertilize your lawn this fall

After months of planting, fertilizing, mowing, and other chores, you might be ready to take a break from all the yard work.

But you shouldn't. Fertilizing your yard during the fall can be essential to maintaining a healthy lawn, especially if you have cool-season turfgrasses like bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass.

"Autumn is the optimum growth period," says Martin Petrovic, Ph.D., a turf expert in the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University. "The temperatures favor a balanced growth of roots and shoots, so the nutrients in the fertilizer have the best chance of doing their job." Petrovic recommends two fall applications based on the acronym SON, for September, October, and November: Do the first feeding in late September to early October, the second in November, around your final mow of the season.

Another helpful fertilizing mnemonic is "up, down, all around." That indicates the action of the three main ingredients in lawn fertilizer. Nitrogen promotes growth and greening ("up"), phosphorous aids root development ("down"), and potassium fortifies the grass against disease, cold, insects, and the like ("all around").

The numbers on a fertilizer bag, in N-P-K order, indicate the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, respectively, on a weight basis. For example, a 100-pound bag labeled 20-0-0 has 20 pounds of nitrogen but no phosphorus or potassium.

"Unfortunately, there's no magic formula for fall fertilizer," says Petrovic. You'll likely see 20-5-15 mix sold at home and garden centers, but the only sure way to determine your lawn needs is to test the soil. Private labs and cooperative extensions perform the service, including specific nutrient recommendations in their report.

Fertilizer bags should also indicate the nitrogen's release characteristic. Slow-release fertilizers contain water-insoluble nitrogen, making them suitable for early-fall applications. Later in the season, a water-soluble fast-release fertilizer is necessary, says Petrovic.

Recommendations for lawn fertilizers are usually given in actual nitrogen over a given area. As a general rule, you should apply no more than 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn if it's thin and weedy. "If the turf looks dense, you don't need to put down as much nitrogen," says Petrovic.

It's always better to use too little fertilizer rather than too much, since nitrogen and phosphorous not absorbed by your lawn can get washed into storm drains and watersheds. Known as nutrient pollution, this phenomenon is particularly problematic in coastal regions with loose, sandy soil. For more information, download the Environmental Protection Agency's June 2008 "Sowing the Seeds for Healthy Waterways" report.

Use the Purdue University Turf Fertilizer Calculator to figure out how much fertilizer you'll need based on the nitrogen concentration. Also, be sure to calibrate your drop spreader to make sure you don't overfertilize. And remember that using your mower's mulch setting can reduce fertilizer needs by a third since the soil-enriching nitrogen from decomposing clippings promote turf growth naturally.

Take care of your yard this fall, and you'll have less lawn maintenance to deal with come spring.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: See our fall lawn-and-yard checklist for advice on trees and shrubs, flowers and gardens, and how to use herbicides safely.

Product Preview: Masco's Verve Living System

The new Verve Living System from Masco is designed to use radio frequencies to operate the light fixtures throughout a house. The system might be worth considering if you're making an addition to your house or building a new home.

With the Verve system, electrical outlets and lighting fixtures are wired to a central controller. You use what Masco calls "energy harvesting" toggles (shown) to operate the lights. Each toggle can handle up to 10 fixtures connected to the controller, allowing you to turn them on or off with one touch. The manufacturer claims the toggles gather enough electricity every time you use them to transmit a radio signal to the fixtures, which can be equipped with incandescent or compact fluorescent lightbulbs. (Masco also claims the system requires less wiring than traditional ones because it eliminates the need for wiring between light fixtures and their switches. Hardwired fixtures and any electrical outlets that power lamps and other plug-in fixtures still need to be wired to the control panel.)

The toggles are movable, according to the maker, so you could keep one in the car to turn on the lights when you arrive at home, making you feel that much safer when you walk through the front door.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Read our June 2008 report on boosting home security and our look at bump keys.

Buzzword: Brickor Mortis

What it means. This buzzword, derived from rigor mortis, comes to us from Great Britain, where many homes are made of brick and wordplay often takes a macabre turn. With the housing market in some areas across the pond in tough shape, brickor mortis—describing the paralyzed state of home sales and purchases—is said to be setting in at a swift pace.

Why the buzz? England and the United States of America are said to be two countries divided by a common language. We now also share something else: a glut of unsold homes. In January 2008, 32 percent of London residences on the market had been for sale for three months or longer. By August, that figure was up to 51 percent. One silver lining in the trend: the divorce rate in England and Wales is at a 26-year low, according to a BBC report, prompting speculation that plunging house prices might be keeping couples together.

Whether or not U.S. divorce rates follow a similar trajectory remains to be seen. But brickor mortis seems to have set in here, too. On September 17, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that housing starts for August were fewer than expected, sinking activity to a 17-year low. "Builders understand that there is still a substantial amount of unsold inventory to be worked down," noted Sandy Dunn, president of the National Association of Home Builders, in what could be considered the understatement of the year.

If you are selling or buying a new home, be sure to read our special section on real estate, which tells you the best way to price your home and lays out the right projects to do before you sell your home.

You'll likely get the best return if you spruce up the outside of your home by adding a deck, new energy-efficient windows, or new siding, according to a 2007 nationwide survey of real-estate professionals conducted by Remodeling magazine.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Learn how to get your house ready to be sold from a professional stager. And use our Home Improvement Guide interactive for advice on products and materials for any area of your house.

10 Questions for . . . Marianne Cusato

In this installment of 10 Questions for . . . , Senior Editor Daniel DiClerico speaks with Marianne Cusato, author, architect, and number four on Builder magazine's "Power on 50" list of the housing industry's most influential people. Cusato talks about the rise of the McMansion, what makes a great neighborhood, and why the green movement still has room to grow, and gives her opinion on "no-maintenance materials.

When did the McMansion era begin?
It all started in the 1980s. McMansions were a natural reaction to other bad architecture: cookie-cutter homes. Someone came in and said, "These houses are ugly. What can we do?" And the answer was, "Let's add this, let's add that, let's make them bigger." Little by little the houses kept growing and growing. There was an "I see your gable and raise you two" attitude. At the same time money and gas were really, really cheap. So it was easy to expand outward.

It's not just the architecture then. It's also the location?
The issue is that the farther out homes get from stores and other amenities, the more we depend on the home to meet all of our daily needs. We used to be able to meet our needs with a 5-minute walk, then a 5-minute drive, now it's a 45-minute drive. That means if you want to watch a movie, you need a media room. A developer in Texas told me recently that he can't sell a home without a room called the "hair salon."

But aren't developers just giving people what they want?
Everybody is responsible. Everybody is held hostage by what they think everybody else wants. I'll have this conversation with a builder, and he'll say, "I agree with you, but I can't sell it." This is why the McMansion movement got so big. It happened a little bit at a time, and nobody stepped in and stopped it. It's taken a major intervention—that being the cost of oil and the mortgage crisis—to shake everything up to a point where we come in and say, "Actually there's another way to build and it's more efficient."

What role can home buyers play?
The key piece of the puzzle is telling home buyers that they can have something other than the default setting. An educated homeowner walking into the builder and saying "I will buy something other than what you are offering" is the key to releasing this endless cycle.

You use the term streetscape in your book The Value of Design. What do you mean by streetscape?
It's the feeling of an outdoor room. When you walk out your front door, you should feel like you're in a place, not just a space. The front door in many American homes is just a giant garage door. A street of garage doors is usually quite wide and is not designed for pedestrians to share. I fully acknowledge that the vehicle is an essential part of our society, but it's not more essential than the people who drive it. What we've done is turned the design of our streets and our homes into 100 percent vehicle-dominated areas.

Is this where the term "snout house" comes in?
Yes, a snout house is a house that looks like a pig. It has a big nose out there—the garage—and nothing else. Who lives in this house: a person or a car? A front-loaded garage is perfectly fine, but make it a secondary element that's attached to one side of the house. Push the garage back a little and you'll even have room for parking. You can avoid a snout house by making the portion of the house that people live in more important than the portion of the house where the car lives.

If people only remember one of your eight components of a valuable home, what should it be?
Common sense. For example, using materials according to their physical properties. Brick and stone are both load-bearing materials, which means historically they supported their own weight. So you wouldn't have vertical strips of either of those materials going up high into a gable surrounded on both sides by siding. Avoid materials that make the house look like a patchwork quilt and design elements that look like they could take flight off the building—enormous gables, three-story entrances, etc. All of this adds unnecessary cost to the home and actually detracts from the value. Real value comes from elements that make sense, like windows on the side of the house that allow cross ventilation, making the home more comfortable and efficient to heat and cool. (Download Cusato's eight_components of a valuable home.pdf)

Shower Cleaners: Powders prevail; one green cleaner shines

We recently pitted a dozen spray, powder, and aerosol shower cleaners against each other to find out which are the best at removing deep-seated soap scum, rust stains, and mildew from shower tiles. See the results you'll see in the video (right) and in our report.

In our tests, powder cleaners like Comet and Ajax proved the most effective (and cost the least). Aerosol cleaners didn't work as well and, despite the no-rinsing-needed claims on their labels, left streaks. There's still no substitute for elbow grease. If you're looking for a green cleaner, Clorox Green Works compared favorably to the all of the cleaners. For more details, see our ratings of shower cleaners, available to subscribers.—Gian Trotta

Essential information: Find out which showerheads provided the most effective, relaxing sprays and join in the spirited debate that ensued from our recent "Shower vs. Bath: Which Uses More Water?" blog posting.

Tip of the Day: Buy a reliable vacuum

A reader recently posted the following comment on our vacuums forum: "And quite simply a product that works great but doesn't last can hardly be considered a so called Best Buy."

That person was right, of course. Vacuums can be expensive, so you want one that lasts for years. Warranties aren't the answer. The majority of the upright and canister vacuums we've tested offer a one-year limited warranty that covers defects in materials or workmanship but doesn't include routine repairs.

Some vacuums come with a longer warranty, but wouldn't you rather have a one-year-warranty model that never breaks than a five-year-warranty appliance that you have to haul to the repair shop once or twice a year?

That's where our brand-reliability data for uprights and canisters (available to subscribers) will help you make a wise choice when you buy a new vacuum. This information, from the Annual Product Reliability Survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, is based on the experiences of 135,000 readers who bought a vacuum in the past five years.

Based on this large sample of readers, we know that, in general, canister models have been more repair-prone than uprights, and that Kirby has been among the more reliable brands of upright vacuums. Eureka and Kenmore have also been reliable brands and offer the best combination of performance and price, earning these uprights Best Buy status. Some of the recently tested Hoover uprights offer good performance at an attractive price, but other brands were more reliable.

When you're standing in a store where dozens of different models are on display, shopping for a vacuum can be daunting. You have to not only choose among all the different types but also consider myriad features and the manufacturers' hype, not to mention staying within your budget. It would help if you could test-drive the vacs, but often you can't.

To find the best vacuum for your home, consider how a model did in our latest tests and select a brand with a good repair history to improve your odds of getting a vacuum that will last.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: Before you head to the store, watch our exclusive video buying guide for vacuums (above).

Q&A: Are propane space heaters safe?

I'm considering getting a propane or kerosene space heater to try to save on heating costs this winter. Any concerns about these heaters?

Propane and kerosene heaters produce a lot of heat, but there are safety issues associated with these units, as we found during our lab tests of two propane and two kerosene last year. For more details, read this story on the safety risks.

If you're in the market for a space heater, read our latest report and refer to our ratings (available to subscribers).

Essential information: Discover easy ways to save energy in the October 2008 issue of Consumer Reports, which also features an in-depth look at the Energy Star program and a review of tankless water heaters.

Buzzword: Smart Grid

What it means. Grid is a basic term when it comes to providing electricity to end users, be they homeowners, schools, factories, hospitals, or office buildings. It refers to the infrastructure that delivers electricity from the point of generation to the consumer. Grids consist of a transmission system, which moves electricity from power plants to substations, and a distribution system, which sends it along to the users.

A smart grid uses the same basic infrastructure but overlays it with modern technology. Smart grids are supposed to offer several advantages over traditional versions. They are self-monitoring, meaning they can identify overloads in the system and prevent blackouts; are more secure against human attacks and natural disasters; give users real-time information about their consumption, paving the way for variable pricing, smart appliances, and more efficient usage (leading, in turn, to lower utility bills); and are compatible with sources of green power.

Why the buzz? The gains of smart-grid technology are many, but until recently they've also been mostly theoretical—even after Title XIII of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 called for the construction of a 21st-century electric system. But earlier this year, Xcel Energy announced that it had tapped Boulder, Colorado, to be the first Smart Grid city in this country. Besides being manageable in size, the 100,000-person city sits near several key research institutes and is home to what one Xcel rep termed early adopters, folks who aren't afraid to try something new. (Would that make them alpha geeks?) The announcement was big news for Boulder.

"We're very excited to be a partner," said Jonathan Koehn, the city's environmental-affairs manager. "It promises to be a great demonstration of what smart grids can do to benefit consumers and utility companies."

The project will unfold in phases over the next few years. Two substations have been upgraded with smart technology, and by the end of the year, 15,000 Boulderites will be equipped with smart meters that allow them to monitor their power usage online. The meters are free to anyone who opts into the program, with Xcel and its SmartGridCity partners picking up the tab.

As smart grids spread throughout the country, figuring out who should pay for the smart meters has become a source of debate. Frederick Butler, commissioner of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and cochair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners-Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Smart Grid Collaborative, puts the cost of a meter at $100 to $200, though that price is expected to fall as the technology matures. "It's a work in progress," says Butler. "The smart grid really has potential, so we want to deploy it in a way that doesn't turn people off, but rather gets them excited."

Central to the discussion is determining who benefits from smart grids: utility companies or customers. "Once we fully identify the benefits, we can assign an appropriate cost allocation," says Butler. Any costs covered by consumers will likely be in the form of a surcharge on their bills for a year or two. But not in Boulder, where early adoption has its perks.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Read more about smart meters and check out our Energy-Saving Guide for tips on cutting energy use at home.

Protect Your Investment: A generator can provide power during an emergency

If you live in a hurricane-prone area, say along the East Coast or Gulf Coast, you might want to consider getting a portable or stationary power generator.

Before you head to the store, determine how many watts of power you’ll need by using our free calculator. Then see the Ratings to find the right model for your home. Also consider installing a transfer switch, which will eliminate having to run extension cords into and out of the house and make it easier to power your refrigerator, air conditioner, and lights.

Don’t neglect to maintain your generator—this will ensure that you’ll have power when you need it. And be sure to use your generator safely:

• Prevent carbon-monoxide poisoning by always running your generator outdoors and at least 15 feet away from the house. Never run it in the basement or garage or other enclosed space.
• Install a transfer switch to connect the unit to your home's wiring system. Never connect a generator directly to your home.
• Reduce fire risk by turning off a gasoline-powered generator before refueling.
• Store gasoline in an ANSI-approved container and in a cool, well-ventilated area.—Ed Perratore

Essential information: Refer to our free Storm & Emergency Guide for expert advice on dealing with a range of storm-related topics. And check out the NOAA's hurricane tracker.

Check out our appliances forums

With nearly 400 user-initiated topics, refrigerators remain our most active appliance-related forum. A good place to join in is the "Anyone happy with their purchase?" thread, where people are reveling in—or just plain regretting—their recent refrigerator buys. Other notable fridge topics include:
• When you should repair or replace a refrigerator.
• The pros and cons—and costs—of French-door refrigerators (shown).
• Buying advice for narrow refrigerators.

Dishwashers enjoy the second-highest number of member-created topics in our appliances forums. Check out these:
• Bosch, Electrolux, and Kenmore models have received rave reviews in the "I love my dishwasher" forum set up by forums moderator Angelo Mannino.
• Dual-drawer dishwashers are drawing detractors and defenders.
• One member noted a downside to some high-tech models: The circuit boards could prove difficult to replace.

For washing machines, you'll find a number of interesting reads. These include:
• Picks for a dependable front-loader.
• Talk about which store offers the best return policy.
• A thread on curing washers of mold and mildew, a topic that prompted this recent blog post. It's an example of how we can work your specific needs and concerns into our coverage.—Gian Trotta

Essential information: Read about how some appliances have become more energy efficient in recent years, and learn how the federal Energy Star program has lost some of its luster.

Tip of the Day: How to handle door-to-door vacuum-sales reps

In an era when you can buy just about anything with the click of a mouse, door-to-door sales of vacuums seem a quaint anachronism.

But don't be fooled by that image. Door-to-door vacuum sales are big business, with sales reps from Kirby Company moving about $400 million worth of merchandise last year alone. Kirby sells its vacuums to 600 independent distributors nationwide, whose nearly 10,000 sales representatives do in-home demonstrations.

Cleveland-based Kirby sells one model, updating it about every two years. The Kirby Sentria upright (shown; model information is available to subscribers) excelled at cleaning carpets and bare floors in our latest tests and rates very good overall. Kirby is also among the more reliable brands of upright vacuums in our surveys. The MSRP is $1,350, although the distributor has the final word on price.

Kirby's sales methods don't always have the same solid reputation as its vacuums. A Web search will yield many pages filled with stories from disgruntled people about Kirby and alleged scams.

Kirby must be aware of all the chatter—its customer-service policy states that over the last 10 years the manufacturer has adopted a culture of continuous improvement in customer service. The company also requires distributors to sign a contract agreeing to operate legally and ethically. "We can't control every step of the distributor's business, but we have the ultimate power in whether we do business with them," says Rob Shumay, a Kirby spokesman.

"Kirby is extremely interested in customer service. However, not all of its distributors are cut from the same cloth," says Sandra Prebil, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau in Cleveland. "One, two, or three distributors will be really bad. We know that Kirby has stopped shipment to a bad distributor and the company will make good on an order for a distributor who's disappeared. For Kirby, trying to control so many different people is difficult."

Wanting to evaluate the Kirby experience myself, I arranged for an in-home demo through the Kirby Web site. I also called a local rep I found in my yellow pages. In neither case did I identify myself as a Consumer Reports employee. I didn't go into this process intending to buy a new vacuum; I also had an in-home demo from Rainbow, another vacuum company.

Tip of the Day: Use a string trimmer for late-summer and fall yard care

String trimmers are handy for cutting grass, weeds, and brush in areas your mower or tractor can’t reach, helping to keep your property looking its best and eliminating habitats for insects and rodents, and other critters. As fall approaches, you’ll want to be sure you don’t to provide overwintering abodes for pests.

With prices of the string trimmers in our ratings (available to subscribers) ranging from $20 to $370, we can help you weed out some choices and find the best model for your home. Read our latest report on string trimmers and watch the video at right, in which our garden-equipment guru Peter Sawchuk details the pros and cons and costs of gas and electric (corded and cordless) models.

Essential information: Get ready for autumn with our guide to fall yard care. And find the best leaf blower to make easier work of yard cleanup.

Don't shop by the label alone

Appliances and other items that qualify for the federal government's Energy Star program use less energy than other products in their category. An Energy Star-qualified refrigerator, for example, uses at least 20 percent less energy than the maximum amount allowed under the current federal standards.

But in an interesting twist, Energy Star qualification could lead some people to buy a product that uses more energy than one that doesn't. How's that?

A look at snack foods can help explain this conundrum. In recent years, health experts have warned consumers against ignoring the serving sizes of low-fat snack foods, as noted in a study from Cornell University. It turns out that some folks tend to wolf down more of a food labeled low-fat and end up eating as many as or more calories than they otherwise would have. A similar thing happens when people buy a more power-hungry product just because it carries the Energy Star sticker.

"Energy Star, in some cases, can be somewhat misleading for consumers and can even lead to a perverse incentive for people to purchase larger and more energy-consumptive products," says Jennifer Thorne Amann, director of the buildings program for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that promotes energy efficiency. "By buying on Energy Star alone, some people are actually costing themselves a lot—not only by buying a more expensive product but also by spending much more to operate it."

Consider the 48-inch GE Profile PSB48LSRBV built-in side-by-side and the 327/8-inch GE GTS22ISSRSS top-freezer. The $6,950 side-by-side uses 645 kWh annually and is Energy Star qualified while the $1,179 top-freezer uses about 18 percent less energy but does not qualify for Energy Star because it uses more energy than the most efficient top-freezers with similar capacity.

We're not suggesting that these are apples-to-apples comparisons—consumers who prefer the above side-by-side should buy it, knowing that it is among the most efficient built-in side-by-sides on the market. But you don't want to shop based on Energy Star qualification alone since it does not guarantee absolute energy savings.

You'll also need to use the information on the Federal Trade Commission's EnergyGuide label (shown) for the products you're considering and compare their annual energy use. (Before you shop, refer to your monthly utility bill to see how much you pay for electricity and/or gas. That cost will help you determine the annual operating cost of an appliance or other product.) 

And don't forget to do your research on ConsumerReports.org before you head to the store. Not only will you get valuable buying advice, including ratings and brand repair history, but for many products you'll also find our efficiency ratings, which we believe better reflect how you use the products you buy and how much they'll cost you each year. Armed with this information, you'll make wiser choices all around.—Ed Perratore

Product Preview: Miele Independence Series Refrigerators

As green has moved from catchy marketing term to reality, boosting the energy efficiency of their wares has become a priority for appliance manufacturers.­ Miele has included some new features on its recently launched Independence series refrigerators to boost their efficiency.

For instance, the KF 1801 and 1811 30-inch built-in bottom-freezers, $7,000 and up, are 33 percent more efficient than the U.S. Department of Energy’s minimum efficiency standard for this type of refrigerator, claims the manufacturer.

Among the interesting features is RemoteVision technology, which sounds an alarm if the temperature in the refrigerator or freezer rises above a set limit, starting at 15 minutes. If you’re away from home, Miele will receive an alert via a wireless local area network. A service representative will then contact you to gain access to your home and fix the problem. (This sounds like a nifty piece of high tech, but a better move might simply be to do a quick fridge-door check before you head out.)

The SuperCool feature is designed to quickly return the refrigerator to optimal cooling temperature after the door has been open for an extended period, say when you’re putting away the groceries.

Other features include fully-integrated or framed-stainless-steel installation; digital touch temperature controls for each of the refrigerator’s four independent cooling zones; recessed halogen lights, designed to eliminate dark corners—and reveal the weeks-old leftovers that lurk there; rail-mounted shelves that you adjust with a tilt-and-slide motion; and full-extension drawers.

We’ll review the manufacturer’s energy-use and performance claims if we test this model in the future.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: For more ways to cut back on your energy consumption, read “Save Energy, Save Money” in the October 2008 issue of Consumer Reports. Some appliances use more energy than their manufacturers claim. Read “Energy Star Has Lost Some Luster” for more details. If you’re in the market for a new refrigerator, check out our latest ratings-based report and watch the behind-the-scenes video (right) to see how we test refrigerators.

NOAA hurricane tracker undergoes update

With four hurricanes occurring in the last two weeks, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Historical Hurricane Tracks tool has been flooded by users.

"The last six days in August, we had 52,430 unique visitors to the site—that's close to our total traffic during July and August of 2006 and 2007," says Jennifer Boulware, a program manager with Rockville, Maryland-based IM Systems Group who helped develop the application. The tracker, which launched in 2002 but was recently updated, allows you to quickly find out how many major storms have hit a particular location from 1851 through 2007; storms in the Eastern North Pacific are tracked for the last 60 years.

"We saw this great mass data sitting out there and we decided, 'Let's find a away to make it accessible to the general public,' " says Ethan Gibney, a senior geospatial analyst at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina, and the lead programmer for the tracker. "The data is historical, but it can give you a insights into the pattern of tropical cyclone and hurricane climatology in your area."

Wanting to run the tracker through its paces, I decided to check out storm activity for Miami. That is, Miami, Florida; Miami, Oklahoma; and Miami University in Oxford Ohio. (From top to bottom, the images at right show storm activity in Florida, Oklahoma, and Ohio.)

The search for the fun-in-the-sun Miami yielded a map overlaid with a spaghetti-tangle of 353 storm tracks. These include two unnamed Category 5 storms that hit in 1935 and 1947, 28 Category 4 storm tracks (including Hurricane Donna in 1960 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992) and 32 Category 3 storms (the most recent were Hurricane King in 1950, Hurricane Isbell in 1964, and Hurricane Wilma in 2005).

While Miami, Oklahoma, hasn't seen the same activity as the Florida city, residents there aren't necessarily safe from storms. "It turns out that inland flooding is now the major cause of deaths from hurricanes," noted Gerry Bell, Ph.D., the NOAA's lead seasonal-hurricane forecaster, in an earlier blog entry on the updated Atlantic-storm forecast for 2008.

The storm tracker shows that from 1902 to 1921, three tropical storms came within 30 miles of this Oklahoma city. Unnamed tropical depressions also hit Miami in 1931 an 1955, others followed in the wakes of hurricanes Carla (1961), Candy (1968), Claudette (1979), and Gilbert (1988).

Moving north to Miami (University ), the RedHawks' hometown was hit by an unnamed tropical storm in 1892 and tropical depressions in 1896, 1901, 1915, and 1926. Tropical depressions also followed hurricanes Betsy (1965), Claudette and Bob (1979), Erin (1995) and the double-whammy of Dennis and Katrina (1995).

Don't be surprised it takes a while find your home's hurricane history—the site has proved so popular that it can slow to a near crawl at peak usage times.—Gian Trotta

Essential information: Our Storm & Emergency Guide includes printable checklists to help you prepare for and deal with storms and natural disasters. See our video on flood insurance.

Home-heating costs projected to rise this winter

While you might be relieved to see prices at the pump drop in recent weeks, your energy-cost euphoria will likely be short-lived.

Not to be a bummer, but home-heating bills are expected to soar during the 2008-2009 heating season, which runs from October 1 to March 31. The average American household will pay $1,182, up 19.8 percent from last year, according to the Energy Information Administration. That's a 65 percent increase from 2003-2004, says the EIA. (All figures here are from the EIA, which revises them every month. You'll find updated information on the EIA site.) It's no wonder one of the most common searches on ConsumerReports.org is for wood- and pellet-burning stoves.

Some regions will be harder hit than others:

People who live in the Northeast and heat with oil are facing the biggest price increase—they'll pay on average $2,725 this winter, up 37.1 percent over 2007-2008. The national average price for heating with oil has grown more than 198 percent from 2003-2004 to 2008-2009.

Southerners who heat with propane will pay on average $1,578, an 18.7 percent increase over 2003-2004. The national average price for heating with propane has soared just over 100 percent from 2003-2004 to 2008-2009.

Residents of the West who heat with gas will pay on average $684, the lowest regional cost in the country. Nonetheless, that's a 23.8 percent increase, even with the stepped-up production of natural gas. The national average price for heating with natural gas has climbed almost 61 percent from 2003-2004 to 2008-2009.

And Midwesterners who heat with electricity will see the smallest hike. It will cost them on average $1,051 to heat their homes, a 4.7 percent climb. The national average price for heating with electricity is up almost 34 percent from 2003-2004 to 2008-2009.

Regardless of where you live or what type of fuel you use, get your heating system checked before the cold weather comes. It's also a good idea to insulate the attic, install a programmable thermostat, and seal leaks and cracks throughout your home. Read more about keeping your energy costs down in "Heating: Stay Warm Without Getting Fleeced."—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Learn more about energy efficiency by reading our "Save Energy, Save Money" feature in the October 2008 Consumer Reports. The issue also contains a review of tankless water heaters, an update on our testing of compact fluorescent lightbulbs, and an investigative piece on the federal government's Energy Star program. Finally, learn about heating safety.

Inside CR Test Labs: Sewing machines

One of the busiest spots these days in our Yonkers, New York, headquarters is a lab in which you'll find four people sitting among hundreds of swatches of cotton and bolts of chiffon, corduroy, and denim. They're not reviewing washing machines or laundry detergents but are diligently testing sewing machines for our upcoming report (see photo, right).

In early September—which happens to be National Sewing Month—the testers were making straight and zigzag stitches and buttonholes on cotton swatches to gauge ease of use for the machines. One tester repeatedly had to refer to the owner's manual, scratching her head as she tried to figure out how to use one of the machines. (Just like our readers, who have been clamoring for a report on sewing machines, our testers have varying levels of sewing experience.)

We're testing 18 different models, including some from brands your grandmother knew and one that's familiar to project-oriented fashionistas who keep an eye on the runway.

We're checking out mechanical and electronic machines, some with a foot pedal, others without. Some machines have automatic threaders, eliminating the tedious job of having to thread the needle. My vision's still pretty good, but an automatic threader seems a worthwhile feature.

One electronic model even has an LED screen that displays videos with step-by-step instructions. It's a lot quicker than reading a manual or calling your mom. Note that we conceal the brand and model information from testers so that they remain objective.

Our full report on sewing machines is scheduled for the March 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, on sale and online in February. Until then we'll keep you updated on our testing. To tell us what you're looking for in a sewing machine, post a comment below.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: Read our free buying advice for sewing machines.

EPA finds fault with Consumer Reports Energy Star article

As energy prices continue to rise in this country, it's no wonder that American consumers are shopping for more efficient cars, appliances, and other products.

At Consumer Reports, we have long recognized the importance of energy efficiency and in recent months have paid even greater attention to the subject, including a July 2008 cover story on gas-saving sedans. (Read more about fuel efficiency.)

The theme of our October 2008 issue, on sale and online now, is "Save Energy, Save Money" (cover, right). We review tankless water heaters and compact fluorescent lightbulbs and reveal energy-efficient products that will save you money. We also include a checklist of 25 easy ways for you to cut your energy use at home.

But the October story that's so far received the most buzz is "Energy Star Has Lost Some Luster," which highlights some problems with this federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA has taken issue with aspects of the story. I've received e-mails from federal officials about our story and earlier today spoke with an EPA representative about the agency's concerns. Let's just say that, for now, we agreed to disagree. (Other organizations, including the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, recognize the importance of our findings.)

You can read the EPA's response to our story by clicking on "EPA's Response to Consumer Reports Oct 2008 article on ENERGY STAR" in the headlines section on the Energy Star Web site. And check out our reply to the EPA: Consumer_Reports_response_to_EPA.pdf.

Look for continued coverage of Energy Star on this blog and on ConsumerReports.org.—Steven H. Saltzman

Convection oven cookie bake-off

Three is better than one or two, right? That's often the case, but not when you're talking about the cooking evenness of the three-fan convection oven on the Samsung FTQ386LWUX electric range.

In a recent cookie bake-off, we pitted the $1,300 Samsung range against the LG LRE30955 electric range, $2,000. Read more about our findings and watch the video (right).

Essential information: If you're in the market for a new range, read our latest report, which includes ratings (available to subscribers) of more than three dozen electric, gas, and dual-fuel models.

Protect Your Investment: Consider climate when building a new deck

If summer has taken a toll on your deck and you plan to replace it this fall or next spring, wouldn't it be nice to have a crystal ball to predict how long the deck will last, whether its color or grain will fade in the sun, or whether mildew stains will appear on shade-covered parts?

To get a glimpse into how well the almost two dozen different decking materials we recently tested might do after a year in different conditions, we left samples of each in Florida (warm, humid climate) and in Arizona (warm, arid climate); as a reference, we also kept a sample of each indoors in our labs.

(From left to right, the columns in the photographs here show the decking after one year stored in our lab; in Florida; and in Arizona. The five rows from top to bottom show the decking unwashed; washed with water and a brush; washed with OxiClean and a brush; washed with Behr wood cleaner; and cleaned with a pressure washer.)

Our testing indicates that rain and humidity foster the greatest mildew growth on composite decking materials. ChoiceDek (shown above), Monarch Exotics, Fiberon Tropics, Rhino Deck Vision Solid, and Trex Brasilia and Accents in particular showed mildew growth after a year in Florida. Symmatrix, Tamko EverGrain, and TimberTech stood out as the most resistant to mildew. Still, if you're concerned about mildew, consider using a deck stain formulated for composite decking. Also check whether the manufacturer claims its product is mildew resistant.

When it comes to wood, unless you apply a finish to preserve a wood deck—we recommend you treat a newly installed deck within a month of installation—it could turn an off color after a year or less. (Our wood decks turned gray in Florida, brown in Arizona.)

Color change in untreated decking isn't confined to wood. Trex Accents and Rhino Deck Vision Solid underwent the most dramatic color shift among composites. The plastic decking, including Deck Lok, Eon Classic, and Bear Boards, and the aluminum LockDry (shown right) we tested experienced little color change, and nearly all did an excellent job resisting mildew.—Ed Perratore

Essential information: For more details, visit our Decks & Deck Stains product page. And use our Outdoor-Living Guide to get the most out of your yard and deck, patio, or porch.

Safety Alert: Dirt Devil Kone vacuums

Dirt Devil describes its Kone M0213 handheld vacuum, $45 (and similar M0212, $43), “an elegant, sculptural form that can be left on display.” Our latest tests suggest that you might want to do just that.

Learn more about these vacuums in our Safety Alert and by watching the video (right).

Essential information: Read our brand-new vacuum buying guide, which reveals several standout cleaners and some models to skip.

Buzzword: Precycle

What it means. Precycling represents the next generation in residential-waste management. It's no longer enough for you to recycle, separating cans and bottles for curbside collection and depositing unwanted electronics at manufacturer's consolidation centers: These days, the truly trash-conscious aim to minimize would-be waste from even entering the home. Hence the rise of the precycler, an environmentally minded relative of the EcoMom.

Why the buzz? Twenty years ago, there was just one curbside-recycling program in the United States, but by 2006, approximately 8,660 programs had sprouted up. The nation now recycles 32.5 percent of its waste, double the rate of 15 years ago, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Despite the gains, Americans generated 251 million tons of municipal solid waste (that's household trash) in 2006—almost 1,700 pounds for every person. In the European Union, the per capita amount is about 500 pounds less.

To slash the amount of waste you create and to reduce pressure on the nation's landfills, learn how to precycle with these simple lifestyle changes:

1. Buy in bulk. Cut down on packaging and use less gas on shopping trips by stocking up at warehouse clubs. Read our head-to-head comparison of Costco and Sam's Club.

2. Focus on concentrated products. This move cuts down on packaging and how much of a product you consume. In our latest test of laundry detergents, for example, many of the concentrated products cleaned just as well as conventional detergents.

3. Opt for recycled packaging. You can't avoid packaging altogether, but look for products that are made from recycled materials. Even some paint containers are fabricated from 100 percent recycled materials.

4. Dispose of disposables. Choose cloth napkins, towels, diapers, and the like to eliminate packaging and keep the resulting waste out of the landfill. And use washable dishware instead of plastic cutlery, cups, and plates. To conserve water, wash items in the dishwasher instead of by hand, and don't prerinse. (Read about the best dishwasher detergents.)

5. Bring your own bags. Forget the paper-vs.-plastic debate. Use your own reusable canvas or cloth bags when you shop.

6. Eliminate junk mail. Opt for paperless billing with your bank, utility companies, and the like. And put an end to all those unwanted catalogs by taking your name off mailing lists at the Direct Marketing Association Web site. Get more details by reading "How to Opt Out of Marketing Lists."

7. Screw in long-lasting bulbs. CFLs and LEDs are more efficient than incandescent lights, meaning fewer bulbs and less packaging.

8. Start a compost bin. This step falls under the "reuse" side of precycling. Tossing organic kitchen scraps and appropriate yard waste onto a compost heap turns them into nutrients for the garden. (Compost your leaves this fall.)

9. Conserve grass clippings. Instead of bagging clippings, use the mulching mode on your lawn mower to deposit them back into the lawn.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Read our special report on energy savings in the October 2008 issue of Consumer Reports, including a list of 25 simple ways to save.

Q&A: Are there any tax credits for installing a residential solar-energy system?

Hoping to save on our energy bills, we're considering installing a solar water heater at our home. Does the federal government offer any tax breaks for these systems?

Given the high upfront expense of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and solar water heaters, it's no wonder you're interested in financial incentives to alleviate some of the cost. Federal tax credits for PV systems and solar water heaters do exist, though you'll need to move quickly because they expire this December 31. (OCTOBER 2008 UPDATE: The $700 billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 extended and expanded the tax credits for residential solar systems. Read more in this post from the Consumer Reports Money blog.)

Advocates of solar energy fear the end of the tax credits will discourage adoption of these promising technologies. "If the federal solar credits expire as planned, it will definitely put a huge damper on the market, and we'll see a large drop in installations," says Larry Sherwood, a consultant to the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, a nonprofit that promotes renewable energy.

Federal tax credits for solar power have helped double the number of commercial and residential installations of PV and solar-water-heater systems since taking effect in 2006, according to the new "U.S. Solar Market Trends" report by Sherwood. Rising energy prices and state incentives have also played a role in spurring the market, particularly in states where those incentives have the biggest payoff.

California, with the largest state incentive program for PV systems, dominates the market with 69 percent of all installations. Similarly, Hawaii, with its generous incentives, accounts for half of the solar-water-heater market. (Read this blog post for more on solar water heaters in Hawaii.)

Still, most Americans own neither type of system since they remain prohibitively expensive. Check out th