This month, the EPA wants you to think about the air you breathe and take action against a health threat you probably didn't know existed: Radon.

Along with the many useful and sometimes useless "events" that are named by government agencies, interests groups and greeting card companies, the EPA has designated January to be Radon Action Month.

From experience however, I can tell you this one is pretty important. In the 20 years I spent as a professional home inspector, we frequently saw otherwise perfectly healthy homes test very high for radon gas.

If you have a clunker of an appliance you'd like to replace in this year, the good news is that the government is offering an attractive rebate that can pay you up to $250 for upgrading to a more efficient model. But the bad news is that with this latest version of "Cash for Clunkers" incentives, you'll have to do a lot of clunky work to get your cash.

Consumer Reports latest tests on washers show price drops of as much as 33% compared with a year ago. Along with the federally funded "Cash for Clunkers" rebates of up to $250 for qualifying models, consumers are benefiting from more energy and water efficient models that save money in the long run.

Santa's reindeer may have a little trouble finding good little boys and girls' homes this Christmas due to a reported nationwide shortage of holiday lights. While the economy slowly rebounds, holiday light displays are selling out at home centers and discount retailers around the country.

Adding an entertaining dimension to the appeal of energy-saving home improvements and building on the promise of new tax incentives for homeowners, President Barack Obama termed insulation "a sexy subject" during a Home Depot visit in Alexandria, Va., on Tuesday.

"Here's what's sexy about it. It saves money," Obama noted in comments aimed at encouraging Congress to pass incentives for homeowners who insulate and otherwise upgrade their homes to make them more energy efficient.

A study of 51 homes released this week by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found a strong association between homes with Chinese-made drywall and levels corrosive hydrogen sulfide, which gives off a smell similar to rotten eggs.

It was the largest investigation ever taken on by the CPSC, costing $3.5 million and involving 15% of the staff, according to the CPSC.

While the forecast for winter 2009-10 stands to be easier on homeowners' wallets than usual, you can save even more money by making energy-smart improvements and easy adjustments to your household routine.

Here are eight ways to reduce home heating costs to stay warm for less this winter:

• Seal out drafts: Eliminate air leaks and drafts around the house, and you'll trim seasonal heating costs by up to 20 percent. Sealant, caulking and weatherstripping are all easy to use, and they'll also help you earn tax credits on your 2009 return.

Home repair contractor Kaile Warren had a rags-to-riches story that was enviable. The former homeless home improver credits "divine intervention" with giving him the idea for a home improvement company and brand name that would ultimately place him on a national stage that included appearances on Oprah, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the CBS Early Show, to name a few.

But according to an investigative report by USA Today, Warren has all but crashed and burned taking more than a dozen investors with him who poured an estimated $4.5 million into his Rent-A-Husband chain of home improvement franchises.

Today, Warren is reportedly more than $3 million in debt with assets of just $145,000, faces investor complaints, one lawsuit, and investigation by the Maine Division of Securities.

Here's a video by USA Today on the story:

Can green consumers be trusted? Maybe not.

A new study to be published in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science has found that just being around green products can make consumers behave more altruistically. But buying those same products can have the opposite effect.

Researchers found that while consumers who were simply exposed to green products tended to act more altruistically, consumers who actually purchased green products were more likely to "cheat and steal" than those who purchased conventional products.

The research found buying products that claim to be made with low environmental impact can set up "moral credentials" in people's minds that give license to selfish or questionable behavior.

"This was not done to point the finger at consumers who buy green products. The message is bigger," says Nina Mazar, a marketing professor at University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management and a self-admitted green consumer. "At the end of the day, if we do one moral thing, it doesn't necessarily mean we will be morally better in other things as well."

Because purchasing green products affirms individuals' values of social responsibility and ethical consciousness, the study predicts that "purchasing green products will establish moral credentials, ironically licensing selfish and morally questionable behavior."

What's next, a burgeoning black market for compact florescent light bulbs and low flow toilets?

Tom Kraeutler is the AOL'S Home Improvement Editor and co-author of "My Home, My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure." He delivers green home improvement tips each week as host of The Money Pit, a nationally syndicated home improvement radio program. He has never been known to so much as steal an organic carrot.