We had a chat with Chris Hunt, an energy coach for HEA. He explains what an energy coach does and why it is free to PG&E and SCE customers. The utility companies, in effect, pay for this free service. Chris says that energy coaching can save people significant money by Read more…
We have talked about lightbulbs in the past. LED lightbulbs have improved dramatically in the past decade. We even wrote an article about how to choose LED lightbulbs for your home. The bottom line is that if you really want to reduce your energy bill, lightbulbs matter. A recent NYT Read more…
By next year in 2020, all the utility companies in California plan to roll out Time of Use (TOU) rates for 20 million consumers. Some will start this year. TOU has proven quite successful at small scale, saving households money while helping offload the state’s electric grid. Time of Use Read more…
Those of us in the energy efficiency business get asked this question all the time and our answer is usually, “Yes, but…”You would think this would be an easy one for us in the efficiency field but like anything in life, there are always mitigating circumstances. Note: If you want Read more…
Is solar a good investment? For some, this is the million dollar question. Actually, it’s more like a $13,000 question. According to EnergySage, a typical American who can get tax credit for their installation will spend about this much for a solar installation. People install solar panels for reasons beyond Read more…
Some recent research is showing that “zero-energy homes is almost to cost parity”. What does this mean in plain English? First, here’s wikipedia’s explanation of “zero-energy”: [when the] total amount of energy used by the building on an annual basis is roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the Read more…
When performing in-home audits for our clients, I often find that a number of our clients have bathrooms with heated floors. These are floors that have electric mats wired underneath the surface and the goal of the setup is to provide a warm floor whenever one steps in–day or night. Read more…
How do people use timer switches, even older ones like these, to save electricity cost in their homes? You might be getting tired of reminding your family members to switch off lights or appliances when they are not in use. Or you are stuck finding ways how to cut your electric bill. Read more…
When it comes to saving money in your home, we take the biggest hit from our electricity bill more times than not. But if you could spend a little to save a whole lot, would you? One of the biggest trending money-saving methods is use $20 smart power strip. Click Read more…
When we conduct in-home audits for high-usage clients, we often bring with us and set up a Rainforest monitor. This device usually only takes 15 minutes to set up, but it is invaluable for knowing what is going in your house regarding your electricity use. The way it works is Read more…