There are many steps you can take today to lower your power bills, decarbonize your home and otherwise become a more informed, empowered energy consumer.
From getting a better grasp on the details of your bill to installing smart home devices, such as a smart thermostat or smart plugs, let’s look at some steps that you can take:
1. Understand what your power bill is telling you.
Regardless of the specifics of your personal energy goals, a good starting place for becoming an empowered consumer is understanding exactly what >>
Whether through a gas stove, a water heater, the car in your garage or the electricity coming from the power company, most American homes today still rely heavily on fossil fuels.
However, if you’ve considered taking steps to decrease the amount – or completely discontinue the use – of fossil fuels in your home, there has never been a better time.
The Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law earlier this month, provides many incent… >>
Summer’s just around the corner now, and according to projections, it’s expected to be a hot one – which means more electricity usage as people attempt to stay cool.
This increase could potentially mean problems for the power grid. In fact, grid regulators have already issued warnings that there may be difficultly meeting electricity demand during extreme heat waves this summer.
However, as an individual consumer, you can actually make a noticeable impact on the… >>
If you live in one of the 44 million U.S. households that’s rented, you might think that there’s not a lot you can do to reduce your home’s energy use or lower your carbon footprint.
However, while there are certain limitations for renters compared to homeowners (installing solar panels or purchasing high-efficiency appliances, for example), there are still many impactful actions that you can take to become a smarter energy consumer.
In this month’s blog, we’ll take a look at four actions that renters can take:
1. Ask yo… >>
With the weather warming up around the country and only a few weeks until the official start of spring, it’s time that many start thinking about their annual spring-cleaning to-do list.
This year, as you’re planning for ways to clean, organize or improve your living space, don’t forget to add a few energy-related tasks to that list. By taking action now, while the weather’s mild, you can save energy, improve comfort and reduce your environmental impact year round.
Here are a few items to consider for your spring-cleaning to-do list this year:<… >>
Leaves changing to gold and red, a crisp feel to the air and the arrival of a pumpkin-spiced version of nearly everything are all sure signs that fall is here.
There are many things to love about America’s favorite season – fall foliage, college football games and Halloween, to name a few – but did you know it’s also an excellent time to make your home more energy efficient?
For many Americans, winter can… >>
About once per month or so, everyone that has electric service receives a bill from their power company, whether through the mail, email, a website or an app.
If you’re like most people, you probably send the amount due to your power company by the due date listed without really digging into the numbers.
But, if you’re interested in becoming a smarter energy consumer, understanding what your bill is telling you is an excellent place to start.
Let’s look at four key tips that can help you understand your power bill:
1. Check how many… >>
As the first day of summer approaches, temperatures are heating up around most parts of the country, which means higher power bills for most.
If you’re looking to minimize the increases to your power bills over the summer months, there are fortunately a lot of different strategies that you can take.
You could, for example, add a smart thermostat to your home, which could lead to savings of 15 percent or more on your cooling costs. You could also upgrade to energy-efficient >>
With hot summer weather just around the corner, now is a great time to begin thinking about how you can improve the energy efficiency of your home and prevent sky-high bills.
While some energy-saving upgrades require a significant financial investment on your part, there are fortunately plenty of low-cost ways to make your home’s energy use a bit more manageable.
Let’s take a look at four of these strategies and the estimated savings you can expect:
1. Prevent hot summer air from getting into your home.
A drafty home can cause your cooli… >>
Like other areas of society, there has been a data revolution in the energy industry in recent years. In the past, power companies delivered data to customers only in the form of paper bills with basic information, usually the total amount of energy used over the month and the dollar amount owed.
Today, however, many consumers have greater access to their energy data than ever before due to the implementation of smart meters by power companies and the arrival of WiFi-connected devices in the home, like smart thermostats, smart appliances and smart lighting.
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