This article is the second in a six-part series that explores how we get our electricity and what we need to know about how renewable — and non-renewable — electric power is generated. After a century of growth — and destruction — powered by fossil fuels, most of us realize that we need to wean ourselves off this limited and polluting […]
Have you heard about the slow drain on your electricity from appliances, known as “vampire loads,” “phantom loads,” or “standby energy drain”? These are the oh-so-scary loads of electricity that our electronic devices and appliances suck out of outlets even when we don’t have them turned on. According to Energy.gov, as much as 10% of residential electricity usage is due […]
Mike Phillips, CEO of Sense, a developer of home energy monitoring and management devices, discusses the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on home energy and EV charging in the United States. When the $369-billion Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed in early September, the stage was set for a race to reduce U.S. emissions by 40% compared to 2005 […]
This article is the first in a six-part series that explores how we get our electricity and what we need to know about how renewable — and non-renewable — electric power is generated. For Americans, electricity use is a major component of our ecological footprint but we tend to pay it the least amount of attention. Yet there are opportunities to […]
Many of us pay to have our organic waste removed, but home biogas digesters offer households a way to produce clean fuel and liquid fertilizer with it. Digesters naturally create biogas as organic matter breaks down, and home digester systems make it possible to cook with it. There are now a few home biogas digesters on the market, and some […]
According to a survey by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), air conditioning accounts for about 12% of U.S. energy costs. It’s a huge number, and a big problem for anyone worried about global warming. This massive consumption is compounded by the fact that air conditioning units use hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to provide their cooling power. Among the various greenhouse gases […]
The future is not written, we can make a better, sustainable future for our children according to Chunka Mui, cofounder of the Future Histories Group and co-author of A Brief History of a Perfect Future: Inventing the world we can proudly leave our kids by 2050, with Paul Carroll, a former reporter and editor at the Wall Street Journal, and […]
Are you doing enough to keep your environmental footprint small? There may still be room for improvement. You can easily make a difference just by making minor adjustments to your daily habits. For example, did you know that something as simple as skipping the dishwasher’s drying cycle can reduce your energy consumption by 15 to 50 percent? The following infographic […]