Margaret Mitchell, who wrote "Gone with the Wind," was born on this day in 1900. It was her one-and-only book, but it sold 10-million copies and won a Pulitzer Prize. As a movie, it won eight academy awards. When heating and cooling your home, there's equally important writing -- letters that'll help keep your energy dollars from going south, too. All heating and cooling equipment has a "rating" that tells what percent of energy is used efficiently. Gas furnaces have an AFUE number that indicates annual fuel utilization efficiency. Air conditioning is rated by SEERs -- seasonal energy efficiency rating, and heat pumps are rated by HSPF, heating seasonal performance factor. In every case (and with every type of equipment), the higher the rating the higher the efficiency and the greater your energy savings. As Rhett Butler would have said to Scarlett, "Frankly, my dear, you should give them a look."

And that's the On The House tip for today.