As an energy coach who likes to work on large homes I am constantly surprised by the number of homes I visit that still have not swapped out their old incandescent lightbulbs for LEDs. I suspect it is due to the rather large energy bills they already pay and the Read more…
We all enjoy using our electrical appliances across the month: stove, air conditionings, refrigerators, television, dryers, etc. The problem arrives at the door with the utility bill. When we use multiple electrical appliances for long periods of time, it all adds up like racking up a credit card debt. The Read more…
This the first article of a two part series looking at the relationship between energy and pets. Nearly seventy percent of American households are home to a pet, resulting in a collective count of over 400 million fish, dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and more. However, as much as we may Read more…
Note: This is a two-part series about reducing your summer electric bill. AskDrPower receives no financial incentive for references made to third-party services. They are there for your information only. In part 1, we covered the easy wins. In this article, we will go over options that require more time Read more…
In a nutshell, Demand Response (DR) is getting paid for using less electricity when others are pigging out. When everyone wants electricity at the same time, it’s called peak demand. Here is a definition from energy.gov. DR programs rewards those who respond during peak demand. That’s why it’s called “demand response.” Read more…
kWh stands for kilowatt-hour. On your electric bill, it’s a unit of how much electricity you used. For a water bill, nearly everyone has an intuition of how much a gallon is. We know that flushing the toilet is a lot more than drinking a glass of water. When it Read more…
You used more electricity this month, but why is the bill this much higher?! First of all, check out our article on What is a kWh if you have no idea what a kWh is. It covers how to get a sense of “how big” a kWh is and get an Read more…
What can you do to lower your electric bill without sweating in your home all summer? We have lots of ideas from working with different families over the years. Let’s first start with the easy wins and simple DIY ideas. In part 2, we will cover solutions for longer term Read more…
The smart home is coming. If it’s so smart, can it help me figure out how to cut my utility bills or manage the cost of maintaining my home? It seems like right now all these “smart speakers” do is DJ music, set reminders or entertain me when I am Read more…
Idle load is what your home is costing you when no one is using anything. It’s called “idle” load because it’s the cost of your home idling. If you kept your car idling outside, it’s still using gas. Well, idle load is the electricity your home draws just sitting there. Btw, Read more…