Lest we remind you, compact fluorescent bulbs “use 75 percent less electricity, last 10 times longer, produce 450 pounds fewer greenhouse gases from power plants and save consumers $30 over the life of each bulb.” If Walmart is successful, they’ll save Americans $3 billion in electricity costs and avoid the need to build additional power plants for the equivalent of 450,000 new homes. Yikes. —MEGHANN MARCO
electricity
Kill-A-Watt: Learn Which Appliances Are Costing You
By 12.6.06
J.D. at Get Rich Slowly has a review of a nifty little device that tells you how much electricity appliances draw. You can use it to calculate how much money you’d save by turning things off/unplugging them. Cool!
WhiteFence.com’s Tainted Ties
By 10.23.06
A few weeks ago, we posted about WhiteFence.com, a site that lets you compare and contrast service providers, which could be especially good for when you’re moving.
Questions To Ask Energy Resellers
By 10.10.06
Many states offer a choice of energy suppliers. Some of these energy resellers actually can offer savings, but before you sign, be sure to ask a few questions, especially if they come to your door.
WhiteFence: Slash All Your Bills, Compare and Contrast
By 10.6.06
UPDATE: WhiteFence is not an unbiased recommendation site. They form “partnerships” with certain providers, limiting consumer choice. Read more in this update.
Con Ed: Now With Twice The Bill!
By 9.12.06
Consolidated Edison — so charmingly short-handed to Con Ed by the consumers they’ve gouged — has a delightful new savings plan for customers now available: by merely paying twice as much as you’re currently paying, you can secure yourself the same amount of power you were getting before at a “fixed rate”… but with an unfixed “supply cost.”
IDT Energy Snookering Queens Residents After Blackouts
By 8.21.06
Looks like IDT Energy reseller is still up to its old tricks. This time they’re targeting Queens residents after the recent ConEd blackouts, sometimes even posing as ConEd workers.
Pith & Vinegar & Electricity
By 6.7.06
• Lil’ ‘lectrician kit at Amazon. They’re never to young to learn about sticking stuff in electrical sockets. [Amazon]
Coned Robots Beg Payments by Phone Every Day, Starting One Day After Paper Bill Arrives
By 3.24.06
Dan Edelman IM’d with a disturbing tale of Coned employing android voice synths to hit you up. Coned graduated from needlessly annoying letters to needlessly nagging phone calls:
Save Electricity This Winter
By 12.16.05
The reason I ask is that my roommates think it takes more electricity to turn the AC off and then turn it back on later.
The answer? Turning it off at night is fine, because “it definitely takes more energy to remove that heat constantly rather than removing it just once when you turn the AC back on later.”
