October 2010
2 posts
4 tags
Case Study: Comparing the outputs of Microsoft's...
There are several websites that help homeowners figure out how to save energy and money by giving personalized recommendations. Three popular sites are Microsoft’s Hohm, Lawrence Berkeley Labs’ Home Energy Saver and Wattbot. We ran a New York metro-area home through all three sites, and we’ll show you how the outputs compared. We’re keeping the address of the home...
2 tags
September 2010
1 post
2 tags
Tank versus Tankless Hot Water Heaters
We get this question a lot at Wattbot: should I choose (or upgrade to) a tankless hot water heater? The short answer: don’t make the choice based on efficiency or lifetime costs, as both types are a wash over time. Instead, choose purely on the basis of the installation. If you don’t have the space for a tank, or you want an outdoor installation, then choose a tankless. ...
August 2010
3 posts
3 tags
Home Improvement + Behavior Change = Saving Money...
A post from one of our fans in Michigan talking about two home improvements she made and one behavior change.
I love the environment and I love saving energy, but I also love not choking over my Michigan apartment energy bills. Last winter I came up with some crafty ways to save money.
I made draft dodgers for all my outside doors - these cloth snakes sit at the bottom of your door and keep...
3 tags
I'm Greening My Home, Damn It!
I had to laugh when I read, Scott Adams’ recent WSJ article “How I (Almost) Saved the Earth” because he hit the nail on the head: it’s hard being green. Listen to what the Dilbert Creator says:
One day you run into an engineer who, unlike yourself, actually knows something. He listens to your whining about your energy bill and speculates that perhaps the walls...
2 tags
A Bright Idea for a Wedding Registry
A few weeks ago, I came across this wedding registry site, HatchMyHouse, that allows couples to put items of a house on their gift wishlist instead of the typical serving tray and fine china.
So I was thinking, wouldn’t it be awesome if you could have your wedding guests contribute to a pot of money that would allow you to renovate all your windows to double-paned ones, which are more...
July 2010
1 post
2 tags
Light Bulbs Will Have Nutrition Facts in 2011
Light bulbs are measured in watts, which is how much energy they use. A typical light fixture in your home takes a 60 watt bulb, but if it were a CFL, which is more energy efficient, you would only need 13 watts to give you the same amount of light. This can be confusing when you just want to replace that burned out light and can’t find the same wattage on the shelves at your hardware...
June 2010
7 posts
2 tags
ConEd Marketing In the Subways
Does it really matter what the terminology is for wasting energy? It’s not as important as doing something to use less energy or produce your own, but we have to applaud ConEdison for educating the residents of New York City. Although, it’s the people in the suburbs that ConEdison should be educating, because the homes are bigger hence they are using more energy.
We’re...
3 tags
1 tag
Do You Spend Less Than the Average American on...
According to a recent survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average US consumer spends 7% of their paycheck on utilities, fuels and public services.
Let’s say for example that you make $100K a year, that means that you’d spend $7,000 a year on utilities, which is $584 a month.
What if your household makes $200K a year? Then according to this survey, you’d be...
3 tags
A Kitchen Remodel: Choosing the Fridge
The past few months, I’ve been acting as the “consulting designer / installer” for a friend’s new Ikea kitchen. It was an interesting exercise to watch myself trade off energy efficiency considerations with aesthetic and design issues. For example: would I opt for the sexy side-by-side fridge with built-in ice & water dispenser and digital controls that my friend was...
4 tags
Top Three Techniques for Convincing Americans To...
Peer pressure, saving money, and real-time feedback — these are the three main techniques that are being explored today to help motivate homeowners to use less energy.
Companies like Opower (below) are using peer pressure to change people’s behavior by sending utility bills comparing them to neighbors that are similar in lifestyle. This type of “friendly competition”...
2 tags
How Many Tons is Your Air Conditioner?
You may not know it, but that air conditioner in your window may be half a ton.
Not how much it weighs, but how much it cools.
Back in the late 1800’s, we used to cool our buildings by signing up for an ice delivery service. Every day, a truck would drop off a block of ice, and then a fan would blow air across it to cool a room. A whole industry grew around scraping natural ice from...
6 tags
Incandescent Bulbs: The True Cost of "Cheap"
Late one night, many years ago, I was flying into Chicago and my seat mate was an executive in the “Bulb Division” of General Electric. He said “yeah, I know it’s not the most glamorous product, but look out there,” and he gestured to millions of Chicago’s twinkling lights below us as we approached O’Hare, “Every one of those bulbs is going to burn out.” And I understood why GE, a manufacturer...
May 2010
6 posts
What To Look For When Buying a House
People are buying homes again believe it or not. The economy hasn’t sprung back just yet, but that means there are still some great finds out there when it comes to buying a home. But just because the asking price is low, doesn’t mean it’s a good deal energy-wise. I interviewed some EcoBrokers, who are green realtors certified by a third party, to hear the top recommendations...
3 tags
Ever Thought of Yourself as a Solar Installer?
How about just for a day? GRID Alternatives is giving you the opportunity to install solar panels on a neighbor’s rooftop. Since 2004, the non-profit whose mission is to empower communities in need by providing renewable energy and energy efficiency services, equipment and training, has installed almost 500 solar electric systems.
GRID Alternatives is similar to Habitat for Humanity,...
6 tags
Are Mortgage Investors Destroying PACE Financing?
The verdict is still out. PACE, Property Assessed Clean Energy, bonds were created to help homeowners make more energy-saving improvements to their homes, however, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who control about two-thirds of all mortgage lending in the country, may be putting a halt to this type of financing.
PACE bonds work like this: homeowners borrow money from their local government to pay...
9 tags
On Solar Hot Water
Solar Thermal systems (sometimes referred to as Solar Hot Water systems or Domestic Solar Hot Water Heating systems) might be the most cost-effective way to save money - the only way to know for sure is by getting a personalized recommendation.
If solar hot water panels are indeed the best solution for you to lower your energy bills, here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions in...
4 tags
Smart Meters - Are You Behind the Times if You...
Smart meters are advanced meters (that look like the one on the right). They track electricity consumption in more detail than a conventional meter and communicate that information to the utility for monitoring and billing purposes.
Are you behind the times? No, not yet. Although most utilities across the US are upgrading their customers’ homes with smart meters, the old meters...
3 tags
Home Star: How Much Money Could You Get If Cash...
Ever wonder why your home is drafty even when all the windows are shut? Or why no matter how often you turn the air conditioner off, your cooling bill is always $500/month?
You might need to replace your leaky windows with double-paned windows or you might need to add insulation to your attic. You might also need to buy a more energy efficient in-room air conditioner. or maybe you can...
April 2010
7 posts
2 tags
Signing Up for Utility Balanced Payment Plan: Good...
Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) calls it a Balanced Payment Plan. Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) calls it Balanced Billing. Should Wattbot encourage users to sign up for balanced billing?
Almost every utility lets you enroll in a billing program that evenly spreads your payments over 12 months.
For example, if you live in New York and have 3 cold winter months that cost you $400...
3 tags
Location, Location, Location
When buying a house, realtors will tell you it’s all about location. When trying to save money on your energy bill, Wattbot will tell you the same thing - it’s all about location.
Wattbot takes into consideration over 75 different inputs in order to give you personalized recommendations that will help you lower your energy bill. However all but five inputs are dependent on your...
8 tags
The Great Appliance Swap Out - NY style
It seems as though every state is coming out with their own version of a an energy efficiency rebate for appliances. New York’s program is the most complicated of them all, but to simplify it - there are two rebate options - the single and the bundle.
The Single Rebate New Energy Star Refrigerators (and recycling proof of your old one) gets you a $105 rebate. New Clothes Washers (with...
Get Rich Slowly - Advice from JD Roth
JD writes a super informative blog about personal finance called Get Rich Slowly and he was kind enough to spend a few minutes with me to discuss how he manages his energy expenses.
First of all, he lives in Portland, which means that is electricity is hydro-powered, which is much cheaper than gas-powered or oil-powered electricity utilities.
When replacing appliances such a refrigerators,...
No gifts, please - except for donations to our...
Jen and Rob are getting married in May. They already own a house in Sunnyvale that is fully stocked with kitchenware and furniture so there is no need to sign up for a registry at Crate & Barrel or Macy’s. Instead, they asked for donations towards their solar electric system.
Since the California Solar Initiative rebates just dropped from $1.10/watt to $0.65/watt, they decided to...
Interview with a Solar Hot Water System Owner From...
In anticipation of the California Solar Initiative’s Solar Thermal incentive program launching on May 1, 2010 - I interviewed Matt, a San Diego homeowner who was part of the California Center for Sustainable Energy’s Solar Heating Water Pilot Program last year. Diane: What made you decide you wanted a solar hot water system? Matt: I already have a greywater system and was remodeling...
6 tags
New Jersey Residents - Your 30 Days of Extra...
Not only did California get federal stimulus funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, but so did New Jersey.
Starting today, April 1st and ending on April 30th all New Jersey Residents can get an extra $25 or $50 rebate for their ENERGY STAR Dishwashers, depending on the gallons of water used per cycle. Download the list of eligible dishwashers.
You can also get a $35...
March 2010
4 posts
10 tags
Starting on Earth Day, Californians Have 30 Days...
Are you in the middle of a kitchen remodel? Or are you thinking about whether or not you should replace your 10 year old refrigerator? Maybe you’ve had your heart set on that new matching red clothes washer and dryer set for a while now - oops, I’m projecting - well wait until April 22 to buy them, because you’ll get an added rebate.
Starting April 22, 2010 and ending May...
6 tags
Ten Minutes Could Save You Seven Grand
That’s seven thousand dollars over the course of 20 years!
Frank and Nancy, homeowners on Long Island, ran their house through Wattbot’s energy recommendation system and found out that if they got additional wall cavity insulation they could save seven thousand dollars over the course of 20 years, which is how long they’re going to remain in their home. (I would too if I were...
13 tags
Wattbot's Energy Recommendations Are Like...
We compared 4 homes in the US using Wattbot.com and found that no two homes are alike when it comes to saving money on their energy bill.
We recommended installing a solar hot water system to the family of three living in a 1972 single-family home in Orinda, California and it would only cost them $1,837 upfront.
However, even though the solar hot water incentives in New York were bigger, the...
5 tags
Post Your Utility Bill on Your Refrigerator
When I asked some friends, “What would you do to lower your electric bills?”, they got creative and sent me a list of the top things they have done in the past year to save money on their gas, electric and heating oil bills. Here are some of my favorites:
“Put surge protectors on more outlets and turned them off - it would be awesome if we had a master switch in the front of...