For homeowners, or those buying a home who are interested in going green and saving on energy bills, here are some ideas.

• Find out what incentives might be available in your area. Check out the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency to find incentives offered by your state, community or utility.

• Whether you have an existing home or are considering buying one, get an energy review or energy audit. Follow up on the recommendations. For more information about energy audits, check out “Plugging Up Leaks with a Home Energy Audit” and “Four Fixes to Stop Home Energy Leaks.”

• Attend a workshop to learn more about residential alternative energy sources such as geothermal, solar water heating and photovoltaics. Read more about these topics on the Internet and contact a local alternative energy contractor or your local government for leads.

• Learn about energy-efficiency tools such as low-flow toilets, faucet showerhead aerators and on-demand water heaters. For more information, see “Low-Flow Toilets,” “Green Homes Special Series: Part Five: Water-Efficient Plumbing Fixtures” and “Tankless Water Heaters.”

• Propose an initiative in your own community. First, check out the creative programs already operating. Besides the ones listed in this article, there are communities offering free advisors for green residential remodeling, interest rate discounts on green remodeling loans, even solar equipment that can be rented for solar water heating or for solar pool water heating and more. There are even “Green Insurance” programs.

• Investigate whether an Energy Efficient Mortgage or EEM would be right for you. EEMs give borrowers the chance to finance energy-saving measures as part of a single mortgage and stretch debt-to-income qualifying ratios on loans so they can qualify for a larger amount and a more-efficient home. Lenders that offer EEMs usually require that a home energy rating test be performed to verify a home’s energy-efficiency features. For further reading, see “Green Mortgages.”