How do I Buy and Install a New EV Charger?

Leviton Evr-Green Products

So you’ve heard all of the buzz about the new Electric Vehicles coming from auto manufacturers and you’re ready to take the plunge?  Before placing your order for the Volt or Leaf, there is some prep work you need to do.  Buying a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or battery electric vehicle (BEV) requires … continue reading

What is HERS rating?

HERS (Home Energy Rating System) is a rating system developed by RESNET in order to measure how efficient a home performs.  From the RESNET About Us page:

In April 1995, the National Association of State Energy Officials and Energy Rated Homes of America founded the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) to develop a national market for … continue reading

What is the Best CFL? Buyer Beware!

CFL Bulb for Recessed Lighting

I think one of the best ways I can help you know which brand of CFL bulb to buy is to share with you my experience with buying CFLs at the lowest price.  I made this mistake in a very large way and hope that this will help … continue reading

Circuit Detective - Which Breaker Controls that Plug?

Find your Power Zones with Circuit Detective

As we strive for more knowledge of how we use energy in our home, at some point we begin to wonder how different zones of power are organized in our home.  I encountered this issue when I worked on installing my TED 5000 Power Monitor into … continue reading

Powering a Nation: Enlightening the energy ignorant

A few weeks ago a journalist at UNC reached out about an online news site about energy sponsored by the Carnegie and Knight foundations titled Powering a Nation.  From the Powering a Nation About us section:

“Powering a Nation will investigate the political, economic and scientific tensions behind U.S. energy use through advanced reporting … continue reading

Buying an Energy Efficient Refrigerator

My home was equipped with energy efficient appliances when I purchased it in 2003. However, recently, we’ve had trouble with our Energy Star Amana refrigerator circa 1998. In my case, the freezer wasn’t freezing well anymore… even with clean coils. Since my refrigerator was 12 years old, I didn’t bother getting it repaired and began searching for a suitable, energy efficient replacement. The general rule of thumb is that a 10 year old appliance is worth replacing instead of repairing since the efficiency gains will end up saving money in the … continue reading

What is a Bloom Energy Server? How does it work?

Bloom Energy Servers Could Change the World

Today, Bloom Energy launched their Energy Server product and went public with a new website containing much greater detail about the company and their products.  You can read previous posts on the Bloom Box aka Energy Server here.  In this post, I will hit … continue reading

The Green Millionaire : Buyer Beware!

I recently had a friend and reader suggest I check out this great new free book he found called The Green Millionaire.  He said I could get a free copy at the website (I’m not even going to link to their site because it’s too close to a scam for my taste).  When I went … continue reading