Saving Electricity home As seen in Newsweek, Forbes, NPR, the Christian Science Monitor, CNET, PC Magazine, InfoWorld, and everywhere else. About  
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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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    Saving Electricity News

    Japan slashes its energy use

    July 1, 2011

    The overwhelming message of this site is that we can easily use lots less energy.  And now Japan is proving it.  They're faced with less energy following the Fukushima nuclear disaster (and public opposition to more nuclear), so they're taking the easy and obvious solution: using less energy.  Pie-in-the-sky hopes for useless alternatives are nice, but they don't get the job done.  By contrast, simply using less works, works today, and works well.

    Among the changes in Japan are: 

    • having offices turn off AC after 6:00 pm
    • starting the workday at 8:30 (instead of 7:30)
    • having department stores turn off unnecessary lights and escalators
    • encouraging office workers to wear more casual clothes rather than suits, in order to use less air conditioning

    But what's funny is that the Japanese were already way ahead of us on saving energy even before these recent measures, as I know from the year I spent there.  For example:

    • They generally hang up their clothes to dry, rather than using a dryer.
    • Their water tends to be heated on demand, rather than using tanks.
    • Their toilets have a "small flush" option for #1's.
    • Electric heating pads are common, rather than paying to heat a whole room.
    • Cooling pads (cooled down in the fridge) are popular, rather than paying to air-condition a whole room.

    As dirty energy becomes more scarce and more expensive, expect the rest of the world to start doing what the Japanese have already figured out.

    See USA Today about Japan's new conservation measures.

    Super-efficient home

    Three college students live in an Arcata, CA house, run as a university project called the Humboldt State University Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT). Founded in 1981, the house uses a number of ingenious ways to generate and save electricity, including a television powered by an exercise bicycle. [Sorry, that article is no longer available from the LA Times website, but here's CCAT's website.]