I'm home improvement expert Don Zeman. Maybe you're thinking about making your home more energy efficient and aren't sure if it will help save the environment and save you money. Although energy efficient products may initially cost a little more, their benefits and savings are definitely long-term.

Darnell Pullen decided to buy an energy efficient home a little over a year ago just for that reason alone.

VSOT from Darnell Pullen

"Right now, bottom line is - it is about saving money. We can talk about it like we want to talk about it, but the bottom line is it's about saving money."

Craig Cawood, another homeowner, told us why he thought it was important to by a home that was energy efficient.

VSOT from Dr. Cawood

"It was really important to us, I think, primarily because it gave us a chance to have some money savings and we could use the money for other things - either for the home or we could use the money for things we've needed for a long time."

Now we know that people actually do save money with energy efficient products. But you're probably still wondering how they did it and exactly what products they used.

Anthony Register, owner of Tidal Homes in Savannah, GA, builds homes that feature the latest energy efficient products. He gave us a couple of simple ideas that can really make a difference.

VSOT from Anthony Register

"Brick is quite energy efficient. It's very durable. Maintenance wise, you don't have any type of required maintenance. It also has thermal capabilities with the heat and cold coming in and outside of the exterior of your home so it's a real efficient energy saving material to build with."

An even easier solution that Anthony suggests is a programmable thermostat.

VSOT from Anthony Register

"With people's busy schedules-going to school, going to work-it allows you to actually set your air conditioning on different temperatures for different times of the day and allows you to save the best energy you can."

In addition to these ideas, there are plenty of other products that can help improve the energy efficiency of a home. Coming up, I'll tell you about some of the other options that you have to make your home more energy efficient