Dear Pat and Brad: Several of my appliances are getting old and will need to be replaced soon. Will the appliance choices I make have much impact on my energy bill? – Chelsea Dear Chelsea: Your energy use varies month to month, so it can be difficult to see how much difference an appliance purchase… Continue reading.

by Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen It’s always a good idea to understand how you’re spending your money. You look over your credit card statement carefully each month, so you should do the same with your utility bill. As you’d suspect, analyzing your bill can help you save energy and money. If you live in… Continue reading.

Spending a few hundred dollars on an energy audit now could save you thousands of dollars over time. A home energy audit is a detailed assessment of your home that can give you a roadmap for future energy-related investments: • What efficiency investments will be most effective in reducing your energy bills? • Why might some areas… Continue reading.

by Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen Ready to make your home more energy efficient? The first step in beginning a renovation project is finding the right contractor. Here are some things to consider when deciding who to hire. Educate yourself so you can be in control of your project. Use reputable sources, like energy.gov, energystar.gov… Continue reading.

by Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen Today, many thermostats offer great new technologies and can do things thermostats of the past simply could not do. That said, it’s certainly worth asking if these new thermostats can save enough money to justify the extra cost. Let’s start by looking at the three main options for thermostats:… Continue reading.

by Laura Matney Just because a renter doesn’t own his/her home doesn’t mean energy-saving improvements can’t be made to the apartment or rental property. The 10 tips on this list do not significantly modify the house, but still can save the renter money. Here is the list: 1) Low-flow showerhead: Remove that old showerhead and… Continue reading.

By Pat Keegan and Brad Thiessen If replacing your furnace seems to be on the near horizon, especially with colder weather a calendar page away, you might wonder what might be some economical options. For most of us, heating and cooling accounts for the largest part of our household energy use. An electric air-source heat… Continue reading.

BY TOM TATE The concept of the smart home is not as new as you might expect. In the late 1980s, as a product manager for Honeywell, I got to see a real smart home. Honeywell’s smart home contained impressive automation capabilities. Lighting, security, fire monitoring, temperature control and appliance use were all automated to… Continue reading.

When looking for a new car, most folks at least glance at the estimated fuel efficiency on the window sticker. Finding out the estimated energy costs for a new home is also important, but those numbers may be trickier to find. The type of energy — electricity and propane or gas — used in the… Continue reading.

Windows add a lot of character to our homes — especially old homes that still have original frames and panes. But they are also an important contributor to the efficiency and comfort of your home. Old ones can be drafty in winter and seem to let some sunny rooms overheat in summer. Replacing windows is… Continue reading.

Today’s new appliances don’t just cook your food and keep it cold, wash your clothes and dishes, or offer a few hours of entertainment. These machines boast a myriad of functions that make our lives easier — but in doing so also consume more energy. While appliances have become more energy efficient as technology has… Continue reading.

Today’s electric tank water heaters are all well insulated to keep the water that we’ve paid to heat stay hot until it’s needed. But with just a little bit of knowledge, there are things we can do as homeowners to keep them operating efficiently long beyond the life of their warranty. Here are things I… Continue reading.