I don't know about you, but about the last thing I want this year for the holidays is another mustard-yellow sweater. Sure, it's nice to have some extra-warm clothes stashed in the top drawer of the dresser this time of year, but I'm clearly maxed-out in the yellow department. Right around this time of year I start putting together my master list of gifts that I could actually use—you know, things my parents would never buy me unless I told them I needed them. Now, honestly, not all of what I want this year has to do with saving energy and money. I can't think of any noble, altruistic way, or any money-saving benefits, to justify my desire for a flat-screen T.V., for example. But what I've decided to do is put together a short list of some of the things—you'll see I'm pretty optimistic—that I'll be asking my lucky stars for this year. Maybe some of you out there will be inspired to put one or two of these ideas on your list, too. Plug-in hybrid — Electric cars ... [More]

It's nearly Thanksgiving, the second of the "big" holidays that break up the last three months of the year. One of the most common family traditions is listing the things for which we are thankful. These are mostly items such as "family," "friends" or "good health." (I'm particularly thankful for the birth of my daughter back in February.) But let's think about something else for which we can be thankful. We live in a time where improvements in technology make it possible to live a happy, healthy, and productive life while using less and less energy. Isn't that something for which we should give thanks? I know I'm glad my electricity bill isn't sky-high. We also see great things in terms of renewable energy. Installed wind power is way up, as is solar. We're making strides in offering "green" power throughout the nation, giving consumers the choice of buying green energy and supporting our mission. Our stakeholders represent a new frontier in job creation, from weatherization to renewa... [More]

Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced its new green homes Web site. The site provides an interactive experience that helps people make their homes greener with tips on reducing energy consumption, carbon footprints, waste generation and water usage, as well as improving indoor air quality. While I've already made some improvements to my home energy efficiency, I know there's more I can do. After exploring the new Web site, I learned for the first time these interesting tips that will help me save more energy and money at home. The outdoor porch or post lamp is one of the highest used light fixtures in a home and is a perfect place to install ENERGY STAR® lighting products. Many compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) will easily fit into existing porch lights. Proper ventilation of the attic with natural air flow keeps the roof deck cool and dry, extending the life of roof shingles and preventing ice dams without using the energy needed to run an attic vent fan.... [More]

This week, John discussed buying clean electricity from your utility. If you can't set up a small renewable energy system of your own, buying clean electricity is a great way to support the use of renewable energy. Do you buy clean electricity from your utility? Tell us about your experience. Each Thursday, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

Clean air means a lot to me. My wife and I had a small solar electric system installed on the roof of our house that produces about 2% of the annual electricity consumed by our all-electric house. We don't have a large south-facing roof, so we couldn't easily install a larger system. But what about the remaining 98% electricity that we need to buy? About half a dozen years ago we signed up for 100% wind electricity after our state deregulated its electricity industry. We didn't have much of a choice to purchase "green" electricity. Only two utility companies offered electricity produced by renewable energy to residents of Maryland where I live. One is a subsidiary of our existing electric company. The other is an affiliate of the local natural gas company. Our electric company subsidiary offered one-year contracts; the gas company affiliate offered one- and two-year contracts. We sometimes went with one company, sometimes with the other, depending on the rates they offered. For billing... [More]

I can be a strange and particular person at times. So here is a post wherein I will be strangely particular about setting the temperature on your thermostat. You often hear about how you should turn down the thermostat to save energy, and there are a slew of helpful ideas on the subject. I'm sure you've heard some of them right here on this blog: You can turn the thermostat down when you're out, when you're sleeping, and you can save about 1% on your energy bill per degree you turn your thermostat down! This is all very exciting. But before you go crazy with turning down the thermostat really low, I'd like to point out some things you might want to keep in mind. But first I have a story! Once upon a time, I knew someone who wanted to save money on her energy bill. And she was in a very drafty old place that got almost no sunlight and leaked air from every single crevice, so she was spending oodles on heating. So she decided to save money on heating! And she turned her heating of... [More]