Contact Us My Account Pay My Bill Products & Services Tools & Information Green Energy About Us saving money by keeping your furnace filters clean Tuesday February 11, 2014 Posted at 08:51 Tags: saving energy saving money Your home’s furnace, like any piece of machinery, needs regular maintenance to perform at its best. The most important routine maintenance you can perform on your furnace is changing or cleaning your furnace’s air filters when they get dirty. Not only can clogged or dirty air filters block air flow and cause your furnace to work harder to pump warm air throughout your house, but dirty air that gets past a filter can make its way into the fan section of the furnace and damage components. Changing or cleaning your filters regularly will help you increase the efficiency and life expectancy of your furnace while helping you cut energy costs. types of furnace air filters There are a wide variety of air filters for gas, oil and electric furnaces. Many furnaces use basic panel filters or washable filters made of fiberglass, but these are the least effective at filtering particles, according to the American Lung Association. Other kinds of filters include pleated filters, high efficiency pleated filters, high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and electronic air cleaners. Some filters, such as HEPA filters and electronic air cleaners, which use electrical fields to trap particles, do a great job of blocking dirt and germs, but can be a bit pricey. Ultimately, you should use a filter recommended by your furnace’s manufacturer and contact the manufacturer about the details of using other kinds of filters. location of furnace air filters Air filters for home furnaces — gas, oil, and electric — will typically be found along the length of the return duct, in a wall, ceiling, or even in the furnace itself. Sometimes they can be difficult to locate or hidden from view behind other equipment. Check your furnace manufacturer’s documentation for the designated filter location. If you don’t have your documentation, try going to the manufacturers’ website and downloading a copy of the documentation. Most modern HVAC systems use return air filters right in the return air grill (the grill opening in your living space that sucks air in rather than blows it out) for easy access and maintenance. But if you have a different kind of system and are having a problem locating your furnace’s filter, start at the air handler and work your way back toward the return air grill opening. changing and cleaning furnace air filters Disposable furnace filters will need to be changed every month or two during the heating season, or more often if you run your furnace a lot, smoke or have pets. For best performance, washable filters should be cleaned every two weeks, or even more frequently, by letting them soak for an hour in a tub or basin filled with a solution of one part water and one part vinegar. Washable filters should be changed out every three to six months, depending on how much you use your furnace or HVAC unit. Other kinds of filters will have their own specific maintenance instructions. Your furnace manufacturer will also likely have air filter maintenance instructions. Sources American Lung Association Health House, “Furnace Filters: Tips About Your Furnace Filter.” Furnace Filter Care, “Where is My Furnace Filter?” U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, “Furnaces and Boilers.” 0 Comments texas wounded vet to recieve new home, year of free electricity Friday February 7, 2014 Posted at 13:13 Spark Energy was on hand this week at the groundbreaking ceremony for the future home of Sergeant Ben Eberle. Sergeant Eberle was severely wounded while serving in Afghanistan in 2011 when an IED exploded, leaving him a triple amputee. Sergeant Eberle was selected by Helping a Hero to receive a specially adapted home. As part of Spark Energy’s ongoing partnership with Helping a Hero, we were honored to present Eberle and his family with a year of free electricity for his new home. “As our troops return home after making incredible sacrifices on our behalf, it’s important that they have the resources necessary to transition back into civilian life.” said Nathan Kroeker, President of Spark Energy. The Eberles selected a wooded lot in Montogmery, TX for their future home. Ben, who enjoys ATVs and the outdoors, is excited to have land on which to ride ATVs and enjoy nature. Eberle thanked the community for their support and shared that he is looking forward to moving into his new home and beginning the stage of his recovery which will involve prosthetics to help him become more mobile. With courage and humor, he ended his remarks by commenting that “I can’t sit down for too long. It’s like the longest car ride ever.” Learn more about Helping a Hero and what you can do to help familes like the Eberles. Houston-area residents can also donate to Helping a Hero with Spark Energy’s Power for Heroes electricity plan. Customers on this plan will see a portion of their bill donated to Helping a Hero at no cost to them. 0 Comments electricity payment scam targets texas consumers Monday October 14, 2013 Posted at 10:32 Electricity Payment Scam Targets Texas Consumers A scam targeting Texas electricity consumers appears to be on the rise, and consumers throughout the state should be on the alert for suspicious calls. According to recent Houston area news reports, the fraudulent activity targets both residential and commercial electricity customers and has been increasing in frequency in recent weeks. The scam is especially concerning because it involves individuals posing as representatives of Spark Energy and other Texas retail energy providers in order to obtain consumer debit account numbers or payments via money order or prepaid debit cards. Once the information is taken by the caller, the energy company is not paid and the caller keeps the cash. Be on the Alert The scam centers around phone calls made to electricity consumers who are told their bill is past-due and their electricity will be disconnected if they don’t make immediate payment. Payment is demanded via money order or prepaid debit cards. What Should You Do if You Receive a Suspicious Call? Spark Energy does contact customers about their accounts, but you should be on alert if someone claiming to be from Spark Energy or a company working on our behalf asks you to pay in an unusual method such as money order or prepaid debit cards. If you suspect you’re the target of a fraudulent call, hang up without providing any payment or identifying information to the caller. Spark Energy customer service is available at 877-54-SPARK to provide information about your account status. We encourage customers with any concerns to call us directly to confirm the identity of a caller before making payments. If you have been a victim of this scam, call local police. 0 Comments peco's refrigerator recycling program Thursday July 5, 2012 Posted by Spark Energy Staff at 14:52 in Residential Energy-Efficient Appliances Tags: appliance rebate programs consumer appliances peco saving energy When Pennsylvanians get new, energy-efficient refrigerators for their homes, old refrigerators often get relegated to a support role in garages or basements. After all, the old models still work, and they can be used to chill drinks and snacks for a basement game room or for bulk-purchased foods that homeowners hadn’t bought before because they lacked the space. Some consumers like to use things — cars, televisions, home appliances — as long as they can because they take pride in making things last, and, besides, they reason, smart consumers get value for their purchases and don’t buy something if they don’t need it. There are a lot of old refrigerators out there as a result of this philosophy, and many of them are 20, 30, or even 40 years old. In fact, there are more than 27 million pre-1993 refrigerators still in use, and about 26 percent of all U.S. homes have a second refrigerator, according to 2009 study by the U.S. Department of Energy. Unfortunately, old refrigerators that keep on working are a big problem for consumers, as well as for utilities, which are trying to avoid having to build new power plants to handle the growing demand for electricity. Old refrigerators are terribly inefficient, and can use up to four times the amount of energy as a modern, energy-efficient model for the same amount of cooling. Hanging on to that old refrigerator costs consumers a lot of money — between $150 and $200 a year — and pulls a lot of electricity from power grids like the one owned by Pennsylvania utility PECO Energy Co. peco helping customers save energy Thankfully, PECO’s new Smart Appliance Recycling program helps customers start saving energy and saving money on monthly bills by giving them $35 for their old refrigerators. The utility will even send a truck to pick it up and have it shipped to a “demanufacturing” facility in Hatfield that sucks out the harmful refrigerant for responsible disposal and prepares the 150 pounds of metal, 25 pounds of plastic, and 3 pounds of glass in an average refrigerator for recycling. In its first year of operation, the facility has recycled 50,000 refrigerators with an average age of 22 years. Demanufacturing those refrigerators saved 85,000 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 7,000 homes for a year, according to Jaco Environmental, the company that runs the Hatfield facility. So far, PECO’s Smart Appliance Recycling program has helped customers of the utility recycle 15,662 old refrigerators at the facility, which saved 27,000 megawatt-hours of electricity, the equivalent of planting 30,000 trees or taking 30 million miles of automobile driving off the books, according to PECO spokeswoman Cathy Engel. PECO’s Smart Appliance Recycling program will also pay customers $35 to recycle freezers and $10 to recycle room air conditioners. peco smart appliance recycling program requirements There are several requirement that need to be met in order to qualify for PECO’s Smart Appliance Recycling Program: Homeowners must be PECO customers Refrigerator and freezer size must be between 10 and 30 cubic feet Units must be empty and working when they are picked up In order to be picked up, units must be accessible by the removal team by a clear and safe path Removal teams won’t risk injury, modify homes (remove doors and railings), or remove personal effects to remove units Sources “GreenSpace: Cold War on the Inefficient Old Fridge,” The Philadelphia Enquirer, March 21, 2011. PECO Smart Ideas website, “PECO Smart Appliance Recycling.” 0 Comments comed provides finishing touches to improvements in northbrook Wednesday June 20, 2012 Posted by Spark Energy Staff at 16:04 in Residential In the Community Tags: comed Commonwealth Edison Co. (ComEd) is wrapping up its $2 million electricity infrastructure improvement project in Northbrook, Ill., a project village officials said should help prevent the kind of power outages that overwhelmed Northbrook last summer. Northbrook director of public works Kelly Hamill said that ComEd’s electricity infrastructure project has been designed to yield several improvements: The installation of almost 10,000 feet of new overhead power lines — called Hendrix cables, which are designed to better withstand punishment from storms and, especially, from contact with falling tree limbs — should help prevent power outages by 75 percent The relocation of the village’s mid-circuit recloser — an automatic switching device that helps minimize the number of customers affected by outages — to a more effective location near downtown The replacement of underground cables in areas that are prone to outages An increased tree trimming program to help prevent outages from falling limbs A revised strategy for communicating with village officials during storms Hamill said ComEd’s finishing touches involved switching power from the old lines to the new lines, transferring individual residential services to the new power lines and removing the old power lines. The village’s mid-circuit recloser will be moved in late June or early July, Hamill said. Sources “ComEd Improves Electric Lines in Northbrook to Decrease Outages,” Chicago Tribune, May 31, 2012. 0 Comments peco rewards electric vehicle owners and ev technology investors Wednesday June 20, 2012 Posted by Spark Energy Staff at 15:42 in Residential Electric Vehicles General Tags: fuel efficient vehicles peco Philadelphia-based electricity utility PECO announced June 4 that it will be rewarding customers who buy electric vehicles (EVs) or invest in EV technologies. As part of the PECO Smart Drive Rebates program, residential and business customers who let the utility know that they’ve purchased an EV will get $50 from the utility, per vehicle. The reward program also encourages investment in EV technologies that can make getting around town easier for EV owners. Government, institutional and non-profit customers who install Level 2 public EV charging stations in the utility’s area will get a $1,000 incentive per unit, up to two units, to help ease installation costs. Counties in PECO’s area will get up to $3,000 if they install a Level 2 public charging station. Sources “PECO Gets Charged Up About Electric Vehicles!” MarketWatch, June 4, 2012. 0 Comments do-it-yourself home energy audits, part 4: lighting Thursday June 14, 2012 Posted by Spark Energy Staff at 16:29 in Residential Consumer Saving Tips General Tags: energy efficient light bulbs home energy audits led light bulbs saving energy saving money Conducting a four-part do-it-yourself home energy audit can help you find ways to cut cooling costs and save money off your electricity bill this summer. Once you've completed the first three parts of a DIY home energy audit — detecting and sealing air leaks, checking your home's insulation and inspecting your HVAC equipment — you're ready to move on to the final step: lighting. evaluate the type of lighting you use Since lighting your home accounts for up to 10 percent of your monthly electricity bill, it's important to take a closer look at the type of lighting you use. Incandescent Bulbs Incandescent bulbs are cheapest, but you're going to go through a lot more of them. Additionally, incandescent bulbs are incredibly inefficient and do a far better job of producing heat than making light. Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) CFLs can be four or five times the price of equivalent incandescent bulbs, but they can last eight times longer and use 75 percent less electricity to produce the same brightness. Drawbacks include environmental concerns — CFLs contain mercury — and shorter lifespans when turned on and off frequently and used in humid parts of the home, such as bathrooms. CFLs are also knocked by some for taking a short time to reach full brightness. Check out these tips for getting the most out of CFL bulbs. Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) LED lights are clearly the future champ of home lighting. While they're the most expensive to buy, they consume 20 percent or less of the electricity used by incandescent bulbs and last up to 25 times longer — without any of the drawbacks associated with CFLs. For more information, check out our post comparing the money-saving benefits of CFLs and LEDs. upgrade to energy-efficient lighting where you can Where you can, you should upgrade to energy efficient lighting. Not only will the bulbs pay for themselves in a short time — because you'll save electricity every time you turn on an energy-efficient bulb — but once the bulbs are paid for you'll start saving real money on your electricity bill. To make upgrading even more attractive, some utilities even offer retail discounts on energy-efficient bulbs to customers in their area. when shopping for energy-efficient bulbs, use lumens, not watts It's important to note that watts are not a measure of a light bulb's brightness. Instead, brightness is determined by something called lumens. When shopping for an equivalent CFL or LED, use the bulb's lumens rating – printed on the packaging – to find a similarly bright bulb. develop an overall lighting strategy There are certain things you can do to increase the lighting efficiency of your home that go beyond upgrading your light bulbs, like using more task lighting or using a brighter-colored paint for walls and ceilings. For these and other additional lighting tips, check out our post on energy-efficient home lighting. You can also browse our glossary of energy-efficient lighting terms to help you navigate your options when it comes to lighting and bulbs. review the do-it-yourself home energy audit There are four steps to a fairly comprehensive do-it-yourself home energy audit. Here are the other three parts, in case you need to review them or if you missed one earlier: Part 1: Detect Air Leaks Part 2: Check Insulation Part 3: Inspect HVAC Equipment Part 4: Lighting Sources U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, "Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Assessments." 0 Comments do-it-yourself home energy audits, part 3: inspecting hvac equipment Thursday June 14, 2012 Posted by Spark Energy Staff at 15:53 in Residential Consumer Saving Tips General Tags: air conditioning energy efficiency home energy audits saving energy saving money Conducting a four-part do-it-yourself home energy audit can help you find ways to cut cooling costs and lower your energy bills this summer. Once you’ve completed the first two parts of a DIY home energy audit — detecting and sealing air leaks and checking your home’s insulation — you’re ready to move on to part three: inspecting your HVAC equipment. The efficiency of your home’s air conditioning system, also known as heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) equipment, plays a critical role in your ability to cool your home and maintain your comfort during hot summer days while keeping electricity bills from breaking the bank. To help your AC system run as efficiently as possible, you’ll need to inspect your equipment, check for leaks in your ductwork and insulate your ducts. inspect your hvac equipment It’s important that you inspect your HVAC equipment at least once a year. Twice a year — once before summer and once before winter — is ideal. For a summertime checkup, you’ll want to focus on your AC system. AC Air Filters Checking air filters and changing them out when they’re dirty is the most important maintenance task you can perform for your AC system: Clogged or dirty air filters restricts normal air flow, which can make your AC system work harder to cool your home Dirt that bypasses an air filter can make its way to the evaporator coil where it can reduce the coil’s ability to absorb heat Clean air filters can lower your energy consumption by 5–15 percent For central AC systems, air filters are generally located somewhere along the return duct. Filter locations can include walls, ceilings, furnaces or the air conditioner itself. If you have a room air conditioner, the filter will be mounted in the grill facing into the room. You should clean or replace your AC system’s air filters every month during the hottest summer months, when you run your AC a lot, and about every month or two during months in which you run your AC less frequently. AC Coils Your AC system’s evaporator coil and condenser coil will collect some dirt over time. Even if you change out your air filters regularly, the evaporator coil will eventually collect dirt over months and years of service. Dirt that does collect will reduce air flow and insulate the coil, which will in turn reduce the coil’s ability to absorb heat. Outside condenser coils can also become dirty over time, especially if the outdoor environment is dusty or you have a lot of foliage around your unit. Fix problems by cleaning your evaporator coil once a year before peak summer months and keeping dirt and debris near your condenser coil to a minimum. For best results, keep the area around the condenser coil clear of debris and trim foliage back at least 2 feet to allow for adequate air flow. Coil Fins The aluminum fins on evaporator and condenser coils can bend easily when you’re cleaning the coils, which can result in blocked air flow. Make sure to take care when cleaning your coils and consider using a fin comb (supplied by AC wholesalers) to remove dirt from the coils. Condensate Drains To clean your condensate drain, which can clog with dirt and debris and prevent an efficient reduction in humidity, pass a stiff wire through the unit’s drain channels. For best results, clean your condensate drains every two months. checking for duct leaks Leaky ducts can reduce the efficiency of the air flow through your AC system and can also introduce dirt to the air flow after air has already passed through the system’s air filters. The best way to find out if your air ducts are leaking is to inspect them for dirt streaks, especially near the seams. Dirt streaks indicate air leaks. Thankfully, you can seal them easily enough with duct mastic. insulating air ducts Insulating air ducts is a good, affordable way to preserve cooled air as it passes through ducts, especially ducts that maneuver their way through uncooled parts of your home, like your attic. Insulated air ducts will also help maintain heated air as it passes through the ducts in the cold winter months. When insulating your air ducts, make sure to use insulation with an R-value of 6 or above. do-it-yourself home energy audits: air leaks, insulation and lighting Make sure to read up on the other steps involved in a four-part DIY home energy audit: There are four steps to a fairly comprehensive do-it-yourself home energy audit. Here are the other three parts, in case you need to review them or if you missed one earlier: Part 1: Detect Air Leaks Part 2: Check Insulation Part 3: Inspect HVAC Equipment Part 4: Lighting Sources U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, “Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Assessments.” U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, “Maintaining Your Air Conditioner.” 0 Comments do-it-yourself home energy audits, part 2: checking insulation Thursday June 14, 2012 Posted by Spark Energy Staff at 14:00 in Residential Consumer Saving Tips General Tags: home energy audits insulation saving energy saving money When conducting a do-it-yourself home energy audit as part of an effort to cut your cooling costs this summer, the first thing you want to do is detect air leaks and seal them. After you’ve done that, you’re ready to check your home’s insulation, which plays a critical role in your home’s overall energy efficiency. If your home is older or has insulation levels that are less than today’s recommended minimum, you could be losing cooled air through the attic, ceiling and walls at a relatively rapid pace. To help shore up your insulation and prevent heat loss, you’ll need to check the insulation in your attic and walls. checking the insulation in your attic When checking your attic for proper insulation, make sure to inspect the hatch; openings for pipes, ductwork and chimneys; vapor barriers; areas around vents and electrical boxes; and the attic floor. Attic hatches should be at least as heavily insulated as the attic itself and should also be sealed with weather stripping so it closes tightly. Gaps around openings for pipes, ductwork and chimneys should be sealed tightly with an expanding foam caulk or other permanent sealant. A vapor barrier is critical for reducing the amount of water vapor that can pass through your ceiling, which can reduce the effectiveness of insulation and cause structural damage over time. Check underneath your attic insulation for typical vapor barriers such as a layer of tarpaper, Kraft paper attached to fiberglass batts or a plastic sheet. If you don’t have a vapor barrier you’ll need to add one. If it’s in bad shape, you’ll need to replace it. Areas around vents and electrical boxes need to be sealed tightly. Use flexible caulk to seal any gaps or cracks, from either the living room side or the attic side. And make sure that attic vents are not being blocked by insulation. Your entire attic floor needs to be covered with at least the current recommended amount of insulation, which is based on your home’s material construction and the part of the country in which you live. For more information, check with a professional insulation contractor. checking the insulation in your walls Checking the insulation in your walls is a little more difficult than checking it in your attic. For the best DIY results, just follow these simple steps: Choose a wall to check Turn off the circuit breaker or unscrew the fuse for any electrical outlets that are in the wall Test to make sure the outlets are not “hot” by plugging in a lamp or some other device and turning it on — if it doesn’t work, the outlet is “cold” and isn’t getting any electricity Once the outlets have been tested and verified cold, remove the cover plate from one outlet and gently probe into the wall with a thin stick or long screwdriver — if you feel resistance, there is some insulation in your wall; repeat for other outlets on the same wall if desired Ideally, each wall should be entirely filled with insulation. Unfortunately, the DIY method for testing wall insulation described above can’t tell you if the entire wall is insulated. For that, you’ll need to swallow your DIY pride and hire a professional home energy auditor to perform a thermographic inspection. a word on caulking When sealing air leaks with caulk, make sure to choose the right kind of caulk and read up on how to apply it correctly. do-it-yourself home energy audits: air leaks, hvac equipment and lighting Make sure to read up on the other steps involved in a four-part DIY home energy audit: Part 1: Detect Air Leaks Part 2: Check Insulation Part 3: Inspect HVAC Equipment Part 4: Lighting Sources U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, “Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Assessments.” U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, “Attic Insulation.” 0 Comments do-it-yourself home energy audits, part 1: detecting air leaks Tuesday June 12, 2012 Posted by Spark Energy Staff at 16:07 in Residential Consumer Saving Tips General Tags: electricity consumption energy efficiency home energy audits saving energy saving money As the weather starts to really warm up and you begin to run your AC more often, you probably also start thinking about how that will impact electricity bills this summer. That's why now is a great time to think about your home's energy efficiency and the different ways you can lower your cooling costs. The first thing you'll need to do is conduct a home energy audit, which will give you a better idea of what kind of energy efficiency improvements you can make. You can always hire a professional to perform the audit. But, if you're like us, you'd rather take the do-it-yourself approach. Thankfully, a DIY home energy audit is a pretty simple and straight-forward, four-part process. 5 steps for detecting air leaks There are five steps you can take to complete a thorough DIY air leak inspection: 1. Make a list of obvious targets for indoor air leaks Grab a piece of paper, a clipboard and a pencil. Make a list of obvious places inside your home that have potential gaps or cracks that can allow air to flow in and out: Attic hatches Baseboards Electrical Outlets Fireplace dampers Mail slots Pipes Switch plates Wall- or window-mounted AC units Weather stripping around doors Window frames 2. Perform a visual inspection A quick visual inspection of the potential problem areas on your list should be able to reveal significant air leaks. Make sure that all caulk and weatherstripping is applied properly, in good condition and without gaps or cracks. If you see daylight around a door or window frame, then there's definitely a leak. Also, try and rattle your windows and doors. If you can move one by shaking it gently, then there's probably an air leak. Seal any gaps that you can see with calk or weather stripping. If your doors and windows are old, you may want to consider upgrading to new, energy-efficient doors and windows. 3. Fine tune your search for air leaks Once you complete a visual inspection for obvious air leaks you can fine tune your search for the leaks that aren't as obvious. You can do this by conducting a basic building pressurization test, which makes leaks easier to detect: Close all exterior doors, windows and fireplace flues Turn off all appliances with pilot lights, such as gas water heaters and gas-burning furnaces Turn on all exhaust fans, such as those in the kitchen and bathrooms Then, light a stick of incense and hold it next to the locations on your list. If the smoke is sucked in or blown out, then you know you have an air leak. Caulk is usually your best choice for sealing these smaller leaks. 4. Take your search for air leaks outside Next, take your clipboard and pencil and search for air leaks on the outside of your home. As a general rule, you want to check any part of your home where two different building materials meet: Areas where the foundation meets the bottom of exterior brick or siding Exterior corners Places where pipes, electrical outlets and wiring enter the home (through brick mortar, siding or the foundation) Where siding and chimneys meet You're going to have to rely more on a visual inspection (since a pressurization test won't work outside, for obvious reasons) to check for exterior air leaks. For best results, make sure that all external areas are appropriately sealed. If not, or if you can see gaps or cracks in the mortar, siding or foundation — even if they're not around things like pipes or wiring — seal them with the appropriate material. 5. Beware of indoor air pollution and appliance backdrafts Sealing your home up tight is a good idea, but, if no air is able to get in or out, you'll create a potential hazard from indoor air pollution or appliance backdrafts (when an exhaust fan pulls combustion gasses from gas-powered water heaters and furnaces into the living space). When sealing air leaks, make sure combustion appliances have adequate air supplies. As a general rule, one square inch of vent opening is required for each 1,000 Btu of appliance input heat. If you have questions about sealing air leaks and combustion appliances, play it safe and contact a professional ventilation contractor or your utility company. a word on caulking When sealing air leaks with caulk, make sure to choose the right kind of caulk and read up on how to apply it correctly. do-it-yourself home energy audits: air leaks, hvac equipment and lighting Now that you know how to detect and repair air leaks, make sure to read up on the other steps involved in a four-part DIY home energy audit: Part 1: Detect Air Leaks Part 2: Check Insulation Part 3: Inspect HVAC Equipment Part 4: Lighting Sources U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, "Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Assessments." 0 Comments blog categories To filter the blog to show only specific articles, please select a category below: Residential Commercial Industry News General Regulatory News In the Community Energy-Efficient Electronics Electric Vehicles Industry Questions Consumer Saving Tips Energy-Efficient Appliances tag cloud air conditioning alternative energy alternative fuels appliance rebate programs bge california cfl chevy volt clp cng vehicles comed compact fluorescent light bulbs con ed connecticut consumer appliances consumer electronics critical care programs educational electricity consumption electricity deregulation emergency preparedness energy efficiency energy efficient light bulbs energy star epa ercot fuel efficient vehicles fun stuff government subsidies heat wave helping a hero home energy audits hurricanes hydraulic fracturing insulation it needs led light bulbs natural gas natural gas vehicles new year's resolutions nissan leaf ohio online energy calculators outage numbers peco ppl programmable thermostats pseg renewable energy safety tips saving energy saving money slamming smart grid smart meters smart thermostats solar energy solar powered car switching electricity suppliers technology ui water conservation wind power monthly archives February October July June May April March February January December November October September August July June May April March Subscribe to our RSS Feed 4:54 PM CENTRAL