Saving Electricity home As seen in Newsweek, Forbes, NPR, the Christian Science Monitor, CNET, PC Magazine, InfoWorld, and everywhere else. About  
Rebates & Tax Credits
for U.S. consumers

Incentives for installing insulation and for buying energy-efficient appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners are often available from local and state governments and utilities. You can see what's available at DSIRE, Energy.gov, and Energy Star.

Related sites:

Home Power Magazine. All about renewable energy for the home.

No-Impact Man. Blog about a family striving to have no net impact. (i.e., What little they use, they offset.) Inspirational.

Off-Grid. News and resources about living without being connected to a utility company.

Mr. Electricity in the news:

"Michael Bluejay runs the outstanding Saving Electricity site that I've mentioned many times before." —J.D. Roth, Get Rich Slowly

Deep Green (book) by Jenny Nazak, 2018
Small Steps, Big Strides: Building Sustainability Habits at Home (book), Lucinda F. Brown, 2016
How much money you'll save with these common energy-saving strategies, Lifehacker, Sep. 28, 2015
Radio interview about saving electricity, Newstalk 1010 (Toronto), April 21, 2015
How much does your PC cost in electricity?, PC Mech, Nov 21, 2013
How Much Electricity Do Your Gadgets Really Use?, Forbes, Sep. 7, 2013
Can my bicycle power my toaster?, Grist, June 10, 2013
Six summer debt traps and how to avoid them, Main St, June 5, 2013
To convert to gas or electric?, Marketplace Radio (NPR), July 20, 2012
8 Simple Ways to Reduce Household Waste, Living Green Magazine, June 29, 2012
Why is my electric bill so high?, New York Daily News, Mar. 27, 2012
Fight the Power, CTV (Canada's largest private broadcaster), Mar. 23, 2012
How to Cut Your Electric Bill, Business Insider, Mar. 20, 2012
Tips to save energy when using your computer, WPLG Channel 10 (Miami, FL), Feb. 23, 2012
How long will it take an energy-efficient washer/dryer to pay for itself?, Christian Science Monitor, Oct. 29, 2011
10 Easy Ways to Lower Your Electric Bill, Forbes, August 23, 2011
18 ways to save on utility bills, AARP, July 9, 2011
How to Save $500 Worth of Energy This Summer, TIME magazine, June 28, 2011
Hot over the energy bill? Turn off the A/C, just chill, Chicago Tribune, June 24, 2011
Cool Site of the Day, Kim Komando (syndicated radio host), May 29, 2011
This calculator shows how much you spend washing clothes, Lifehacker, May 6, 2011
What you pay when you're away, WCPO Channel 9 (Cincinatti), May 5, 2011
Spotting energy gluttons in your home, Chicago Tribune (CA), Apr. 7, 2011
Walnut Creek author has tips for livng a thrifty life, Contra Costa Times (CA), Jan. 24, 2011
Do space heaters save money and energy?, Mother Jones, Jan. 10, 2011
Energy steps to take for a less pricey winter, Reuters, Nov. 10, 2010
Should you shut down your computer or put it to sleep?, Mother Jones, Nov. 1, 2010
Energy saving tips for fall, Chicago Tribune & Seattle Times Nov. 7, 2010
10 ways to save money on your utility bill, Yahoo! Finance, Oct. 2, 2010
Mr. Electricity Ranks Refrigerators & Electrical Wasters, Green Building Elements, Sep. 8, 2010
The case against long-distance relationships, Slate, Sep. 3, 2010
10 household items that are bleeding you dry, Times Daily (Florence, AL), July 27, 2010
Cold, hard cash, Kansas City Star, June 22, 10
Stretch your dollar, not your budget, Globe and Mail, May 18, 2010
Auto abstinence, onearth magazine, Winter 2010
2010 Frugal Living Guide, Bankrate.com
Energy-saving schemes yield €5.8m in savings, Times of Malta, Dec. 20, 09
Four ways to reduce your PC's carbon footprint, CNET, Dec 2, 09
The day I hit the brakes, onearth magazine, Fall 2009
How Much Do You Really Save By Air-Drying Your Clothes?, The Simple Dollar, 2010
Enjoy the mild weather, low electricity bills, Detroit Free Press, Jul 18, 09
The most energy-efficient way to heat a cup of water, Christian Science Monitor, Jun 16, 09
Ten ways to save energy, Times of Malta, Jan 3, 09
Measuring your green IT baseline, InfoWorld, Sep 4, 08
Bald Brothers Breakfast (MP3), ABC Adelaide, March 27, 2007
Net Interest, Newsweek, Feb 12, 07
The Power Hungry Digital Lifestyle, PC Magazine, Sep 4, 07
Net Interest, Newsweek, Feb 12, 07
Answers to all your electricity questions, Treehugger, Jul 11, 08 Going Green, Monsters and Critics, Jan 6, 2007
A hunt for energy hogs, Wall Street Journal Online, Dec 18, 06

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Cellulose vs. Fiberglass attic insulation: Which is better?

Cellulose wins

 Last Update: February, 2015

Both cellulose and fiberglass insulation have their pros and cons, but I feel that cellulose is the better bet overall.  Here's why:

  1. Cellulose insulates better than fiberglass, especially in very cold weather. (Green Building Advisor, Boston Globe, BuildItSolar)
  2. It slows air flow better than fiberglass. (Green Building Advisor)
  3. It's cheaper than fiberglass.
  4. It's made from mostly recycled materials.
  5. A test house burned more slowly with cellulose installed than with fiberglass. (more below)
  6. Cellulose provides better sound insulation than fiberglass (i.e., homes are less noisy with it).
  7. Fiberglass is a suspected carcinogen. (sources)
  8. Many fiberglass installers "fluff" the fiber with extra air, so you don't get as much insulation as you're supposed to. This kind of trickery can't easily be done with cellulose, and certainly not to the extent that it can with fiberglass. (BetterInsulation.com)

    Let's look at #5 in more detail.

Houses with cellulose installed burn slower than those with fiberglass

The Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (of the University of Maryland) built three small houses and then burned them to the ground to see how insulation choice affected burn time. One house had no insulation, another had fiberglass, and the third had cellulose. The results? The house with no insulation and fiberglass insulation collapsed about the same time, after 40 and 42.5 minutes respectively. The house with cellulose insulation lasted another 24.5 minutes longer than the building with fiberglass.

How could this be, when cellulose is made from old newspaper and fiberglass is made from, well, glass?  The first thing is that cellulose insulation is treated with fire retardants like borate which make it harder to burn.  But still...how does it outperform fiberglass?  The answer is probably that when you try to burn cellulose, it chars black but the material is still there. When you burn fiberglass, it melts away, allowing the fire to more easily spread.  There's a bit in the video below where someone takes a blowtorch to some cellulose insulation he's holding in his hand, and the cellulose won't ignite, it just turns black.

Similar research by the National Research Council of Canada showed that cellulose insulation increases a building's fire resistance by 22 to 55% compared to traditonal fiberglass. (source)

The video below which shows the house-burning test results was apparently produced by a cellulose company, so we could assume some bias, but since the test itself was conducted by the University of Maryland, and since the fiberglass industry hasn't responded with their own test showing different results, I think the results of this test are fairly trustworthy.


However, cellulose doesn't have superior fire performance in every case.  Federal code does say that cellulose is a fire hazard if it's installed too close to the sides or on top of recessed light fixtures, or too close to exhaust flues for things like furnaces and gas water heaters. (CFR)   And electrical fires are probably more likely in older homes with substandard wiring when cellulose is installed. (Firehouse magazine)

Other

Since cellulose is so common and so important, its production is regulated by the federal government. That is, there are minimum standards for quality. It's a crime to sell cellulose that doesn't meet this standard. (source)

The fiberglass industry association (NAIMA) snail-mailed me a massive letter taking issue with this page.  I found most of it to be B.S., but I made a few changes to the article, mostly minor.  Green Building Advisor got a similar letter.

 

Sources re: carcinogenity and health effects of fiberglass

  • "Studies have shown inhaling these fibers can reduce lung function and cause inflammation in animals and humans....Fiberglass emits a synthetic material called styrene, which is a possible carcinogenic according to the IACR and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency." (Am. Lung Assoc.)
  • "Certain glass wool fibers (inhalable) are reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens...." (Natl. Institutes of Health, 2014)