electricity

In Michigan, utilities can increase rates without first getting approval, but that means the Michigan Public Service Commission can later reduce them. That's what happened on Monday, when the Commission ordered Consumers Energy to refund about $39.6 million to customers it overcharged since last May.  More »

As soon as next month, California may become the first state to implement energy consumption rule for big screen TV sets similar to the ones for refrigerators and air conditioners. A trade group has been adamantly opposing it, reports the Los Angeles Times, but hasn't found much sympathy from the California Energy Commission, which may be able to avoid building a $600 million natural gas power plant if they can cut back on energy guzzling sets.  More »

PG&E has decided to start billing Josh's parents for electricity from the 1970's, to the tune of nearly $1000 per month.  More »

The Ohio Public Utilities Commission has announced that they are asking FirstEnergy, the utlility company that was going to force its customers to pay $10.80 per light bulb as part of an energy-saving program, to delay the implementation of said program until they can figure out what the %#$& was going on.  More »

Hey, who doesn't like to get free stuff from the power company? So it's awfully nice of Ohio utility FirstEnergy to deliver compact fluorescent bulbs to their customers' homes. Except for the part where the bulbs aren't free, and customers are being forced to pay nearly five times the retail price of the bulbs.  More »

Having trouble paying your high power bill? The law of supply and demand may be your friend. Americans' electricity use is decreasing for the first time since 1949. (Maybe it's all those compact fluorescent bulbs.) This means that your electric bill could be slightly lower in the coming months...or at least not increase as much as usual.  More »

The New York Times says a white roof on your house "can cost as little as 15 percent more than its dark counterpart" yet "reduce air-conditioning costs by 20 percent or more in hot, sunny weather." This is because, scientifically speaking, the color white hates the stupid sun and won't have anything to do with it.  More »

When a power line falls in your neighborhood, be patient. Wait for the proper authorities to take care of it. Above all, don't try to clear it out of the way using an industrial saw. A man in Pond Eddy, NY did that against the advice of firefighters, and was electrocuted. [Newsday] (Thanks, AJ!)  More »

No charges will be filed in the case of a 93-year old Michigan man who froze to death after the utility company put a malfunctioning electricity limiter on his house.   More »

This is the weirdest weather map you've ever seen. Sort of. It shows the solar power capacity of different regions of the U.S. It's the coolest-looking slide from an interactive map compiled by NPR to illustrate this week's series about America's power grid. It shows power sources and where they're located, and also the larger infrastructure that carries our electricity from those sources to our homes.  More »

If you're concerned about your electricity use you may have considered getting one of those energy monitoring devices like the "Kill a Watt" or the "Watts Up." But do they really work?  More »

UPDATE: No Charges In Case Of Utility Freezing 93-Year-Old To Death  More »

Nashville Electric Service (NES) decided it would be a good idea to round up each customer's bill to the nearest dollar, then take that extra change to donate to charity. It's a great idea, and since the total amount donated per year can't exceed $11.88, it's not a hardship on most people. But there are a few problems. First, NES chooses the charities, if that matters to you. What's more troublesome is that NES plans to opt-in every customer when the program begins on January 2009 without asking for explicit permission—if you pay your electricity bill through NES, you'll donate to their charities next year, thank you very much.  More »

Energy is expensive. Electricity bills are expected to jump as much as 29% this summer in some areas of the US. [USAToday]  More »

In New York, residents can choose to buy their energy from competing energy supply companies, or ESCOs. The idea is you can end up saving money by choosing from a field of competitors. In reality, says the New York Times, your energy bills frequently increase, and when you try to switch again you might be charged a contract termination fee.   More »

Save some money by re-using your existing strings of light this Christmas—even if they're currently acting all wonky. Here are some handy guides on how to repair dark strings of Christmas lights, whether they're LED or the classic incandescent type. They're fairly detailed, with a sort of techy "how things work" vibe, but contain a lot of useful information. For example, just because a string of incandescents has an AC outlet at the end, that doesn't make it an extension cord—the more power you pull through the cord, the greater the current and the higher the risk of shorting out bulbs.   More »

We've talked about these before, but we really like the idea of keeping our chargers neat and organized and the boxes people are making seem to be getting more and more advanced. This box also has the benefit of multiple switches so you can easily cut power to whatever device you have plugged in, should that be your desire. Nifty.  More »