Energy Circle : Product Reviews

Energy Circle's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts of Efficiency.

Will — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:25:48 +0000

This year, give gifts that make a difference -- both for the person receiving them, and for the planet. Gifts of energy efficiency do this by reducing energy use, and saving money forever. A gift of energy efficiency is akin to giving stock shares or another long term investment: it will reap dividends far into the future.

But what is a gift of efficiency? Well, it's either a tool that enables one to make energy efficient home improvements, or a product that's inherently energy efficient compared to its alternatives.

Elbow-Grease Efficiency:

For the do-it-yourself, caulk-gun-slinging, get-things-done, rugged individualist in your family, we recommend buying tools. Tools are used for projects -- for getting things done -- and the home improvement project that gives the most bang for your buck in home energy savings is most definitely air sealing. So, for all of your loved one's air sealing needs:

A Foam Gun, a Can of Spray Foam.

For the bigger air sealing projects in the house -- basement, attic, utility penetrations, rim joist -- caulk don't cut it. You need some spray foam, and you need some foam that performs. The cheap stuff from the big box stores is often messy and tough to install. Make your resident DIY-er happy with a high quality, reusable foam gun and a good can of low-environmental-impact spray foam.

We recommend:

Todol Pur Shooter Foam Gun
~~$35.95~~ $32.00

Todol Pur Fill 1G Foam
$17.00

A Caulking Gun, a Tube of Caulk.

Everybody needs a good caulking gun (you knew that, right?). Anyway, it's key to have a good, high quality caulking gun, because nobody likes getting frustrated because of having to mess around with a piece of junk.

We also dig environmentally friendly caulk, with no harmful chemicals. Because nobody wants harmful chemicals hanging around their house.

We recommend:

OSI GreenSeries Sealant
$4.50

Newborn Parallel Frame Caulk Gun
$11.25

Elegant Efficiency:

For the more aesthetically oriented among your friends of family, a couple ideas that involve no elbow grease -- just pure, unadulterated good looks, energy efficiency, and show-off-ability.

Energy Saving Lamps.

Not all lamps are created equal. Lamps designed specifically for energy efficiency are designed to provide the best quality light while utilizing the energy saving technology of compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light emitting diodes (LEDs).

We recommend:

MaxLite Ellegra LED Desk Lamp
~~$280.00~~ $270.00

TCP Brushed Steel Table Lamp
$75.00

Best-In-Class Energy Monitors:

A whole-house energy monitor doesn't save energy, or money, directly. But studies have shown that the presence of an in-home, real-time energy dashboard spur most households to take energy saving measures like shutting the lights off and unplugging unused electronics, because the real-time cost of a home's energy consumption are displayed prominently for all to see. They give you a visible reason to turn off the lights.

We recommend:

eMonitor Circuit-by-Circuit Energy Monitor Service
$687.00 - $1387.00

Blue Line Powercost Monitor: WiFi Edition
$247.00

Efficiency for the Whole Family:

No reason you can't get the kids involved, too. Some of the coolest energy efficiency products out there -- single-appliance energy monitors that let you know, in real time, how much energy a particular device is using, and how much it will cost in electricity, are affordable and fun for the whole family. Some of our favorites:

Crank Powered Tools:

Crank powered stuff is cool. That's all.

We recommend:

Freeplay Flashlight Emergency Center
$89.00

American Red Cross FR160 Microlink Radio by Eton
$30.00

Smart Power Strips:

Excited about the new TV your family is getting this year? Or the new XBox, Wii, DVD player, Macbook, Tivo, DVR, or what have you? Nice. Just remember that you can cut back on the energy that it consumes by plugging it into a smart power strip. Smart power strips automatically cut power to peripheral devices (say, a printer or computer speakers) when you turn a control device off (say, a TV or a computer). They save you the trouble of unplugging everything, and make saving money on energy bills a piece of cake.

We recommend:

BITS Smart Strip (7 outlets)
$28.00

Isole IDP-3050 Plug Load Control Outlet
$99.00

Single Appliance Energy Monitors (aka Vampire Hunters):

One of our favorite energy efficiency related family activities is "vampire hunting," which entails going around the house sniffing out vampire energy sources using a single-appliance energy monitor. Energy vampires, of course, are those appliances and electronics that continue to draw power when they're turned off; but the activity can also provide some insights into what the big energy consumers are in the house when they're turned on, as well.

We recommend:

Kill-a-Watt Electricity Monitor
~~$24.95~~ $23.85

Belkin Conserve Insight Monitor
~~$29.95~~ $27.95

ALSO... LED Holiday Lights!

LED Holiday lights are an energy-saving, long-lasting, cool-to-the-touch alternative to traditional incandescent holiday lights (you know, the ones that burn out, break, and can be a potential fire hazard when wrapped around a dry Christmas tree). And they're more affordable than ever. Some of our favorites:

Diogen Multi-Color LED Holiday Light String
~~$25.00~~ $17.50

Diogen Warm White LED Holiday Light String
~~$25.00~~ $17.50

Happy holidays from all of us at Energy Circle!

EC Test Lab: Phillips EcoVantage Bulbs

SageFriedman — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:26:37 +0000

If there is one thing you could pickup from the coverage of the failed BULB Act ("Better Use of Light Bulbs") and media hullabaloo, it's that some people really do not like spiral shaped compact florecent lamps (CFLs). While most of the complaints voiced by grandstanding politicans and pundits were silly, and much of the debate was factually inaccurate, its clear some people are just unwilling to give CFL's a chance, and are determined to dislike them no matter how much the technology has improved in the last two decades.

However, in January of 2012, the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act's (EISA) new minimum light bulb efficiency standards start to take effect and one wonders what these lumen curmudgeons will do when they cannot go buy a traditional 100w bulb? We'd recommend LED's and taking another meaningful look at the current state of CFL technology, but for those of you that are simply unwilling, we've decided to start taking a look at some of the other options.

Among them is the EcoVantage line from Phillips. The EcoVantage family of bulbs (marketed with the tagline “Savings Without Sacrifice”) consists of traditionally shaped (A) bulbs in soft white (45w/55w/75w) and natural light (43w/53w/72w). Each of these bulbs boasts a savings of 25% or more compared to a standard incandescent bulb (at least on paper), although it is worth noting that only the natural light versions are actually EISA compliant.

We tested the 53w (replaces 75w) natural light and the 45w (replaces 60w) soft white bulbs, and generally found them unremarkable. I do not mean that in a bad way, they work like light bulbs. Just like traditional incandescent the EcoVantage bulbs are instant on at full brightness, are completely dimmable, and fit in pretty much any fixture made for an A-shaped bulb. I prefer the Natural Light versions because I prefer crisper light, but that's just a personal preference, they are both functional light sources. That said, the EcoVantage has a not-so-dark secret hidden within - the EcoVantage is not a traditional incandescent bulb, it’s a halogen bulb. Inside there is a pressurized filament capsule, and the only mention of it is in the "Caution" statement. Cool, but not exactly exciting, as Halogen bulbs have been 25-30% more efficent than basic incandescents for decades.

To be clear, I am not recommending the EcoVantage as your path to energy efficiency and it is not something that we are going to add to the Energy Circle store, but I can see its use – if you need to replace an incandescent bulb on an old dimmer switch that isn't CFL compatible, the EcoVantage and other halogen bulb retrofits are a meaningful option with a lower upfront cost ($1.50-$2.25). Although, if you do the math you will find that a good dimmable CFL has a much lower lifetime cost - A 6,000 hour rated dimmable CFL (like the Maxlite 15w dimmable, $12.75) will use 90kwh over its lifetime (total cost @ 0.15/kwh = $26.25), whereas the 53w EcoVantage ($2) will go through 5 bulbs in that time and burn through 318kwh of energy (total cost of $59.70), giving the CFL a 56% lower lifetime cost. If you don't need a dimmable bulb, the math just gets better. Even using a top of the line CFL (GE Reveal 13w, $5.95) the total cost over the same period would be 70% lower (78kwh used, total cost of $17.65, although it would have another 2,000 hours of life left in it).

However, let’s backtrack a moment to the claims about energy savings, and take the opportunity to read the small print on the EcoVantage website for the Natural Light bulbs:

• Saves at least 28% in energy costs (*,1,2,3)
   o 43W replaces a 60W incandescent (1)
   o 53W replaces a 75W incandescent (2)
   o 72W replaces a 100W incandescent (3)

* EcoVantage Natural Light complies with the Energy Independence 
and Security Act 2007 efficiency standards for 2012-2014.

1) Compared to a 60W Natural Light A19 incandescent bulb with 
680 lumens, the 43W EcoVantage bulb with 630 lumens provides 
similar light and at least 28% energy savings.

2) Compared to a 75W Natural Light A19 incandescent bulb with 
950 lumens, the 53W EcoVantage bulb with 830 lumens provides 
similar light and at least 28% energy savings.

3) Compared to a 100W Natural Light A19 incandescent bulb with
1350 lumens, the 72W EcoVantage bulb with 1200 lumens provides
similar light and at least 28% energy savings.

These claims of energy savings are based on the nominal wattage of the bulb, which as we have discussed before is not the best way to pick your light bulbs. Light is about lumens, so let’s compare lumens per watt as well as nominal wattage and total lumen production:

	EcoVantage Natural Light		Comparison Incandescent
EcoV/Comp	Total Lumens	Lumens/W	Total Lumens	Lumens/W	Efficiency Gain	Light Loss
43/60w	630	14.65	680	11.33	29%	7%
53/75w	830	15.66	950	12.67	24%	13%
72/100w	1200	16.67	1350	13.50	23%	11%

Clearly the EcoVantage is more efficient than its incandescent alternative but it is not “Savings Without Sacrifice” - you are sacrificing 7-13% of your total light output depending on the bulb. Such a sacrifice is one you may be quite happy to make, but remember - light is about lumens and wattage means almost nothing by itself.

Not Just for Birthdays Anymore: A Chimney Balloon will Keep Your House Warm, Save You Money.

Will — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:48:00 +0000

We're always on the lookout for clever, easy ways to make your home more comfortable, less drafty and more energy efficient. A chimney balloon is one of these.

Here's the scoop: a lot of homes have chimneys that are rarely used. Maybe you have a fire in the fireplace once in a while, but typically it's reserved for special occasions. The rest of the time the chimney, which is designed to effectively remove smoke and unsafe gases from your house, keeps removing air from your house, but it's not the unhealthy air that a fire creates -- it's the warm air inside your home that you're paying to heat with your home's central heating system.

While closing a damper does make a small difference, dampers are made out of metal. They're not typically air tight, and warping over time makes them even more prone to air leakage. A chimney balloon does what a damper doesn't do, by completely sealing off the fireplace and preventing any warm air from escaping your home.

In addition to keeping your house warmer, chimney balloons serve some other pretty nice functions as well:

Stop drafts.

The warm air escaping up your chimney needs to be replaced somehow, and it's typically replaced with air seaping into your house through air leaks in your basement, poorly sealed exterior walls, and around windows and doors. The air movement created in this process is what we know as a draft. A drafty house in the winter is no fun.

Lower your heating bill.

Of course, all the heated air that's escaping up your chimney is air that you paid good money to heat. Think about it: every minute that your heating system is turned on, your hard-earned dollars are literally going right up the chimney. In this economy, that's no good at all.

Keep out the critters.

Another downside of a leaky chimney is that bugs, bats, birds and who-knows-what-else are free to climb right down into your house. Especially if your damper is particularly warped, leaving gaps on either side, you're welcoming some unwanted guests into your home. By sealing the chimney off completely, a chimney balloon will prevent uninvited guests from entering your house. (Saint Nick, of course, is magic, and should have no trouble temporarily removing the chimney balloon to bring your toys on Christmas, so don't worry about that.)

We asked energy auditor and home inspector DeWitt Kimball, owner of Complete Home Evaluations, what he thought about these things. (He's one of the best energy auditors in Maine, so we trust him.)

Here's his response:

I recommend the balloon to everyone that has a wood burning fireplace. Fireplaces are made to remove smoke and heated combustion gases from a home. Removing heat occurs even when the fireplace is not in use.

The metal flue dampers have a very poor air sealing and warm air sneaks by them and exits the home. The chimney balloon completely seals the flue. When I do a blower door test and depressurize a home air blasts by closed flues and will blow ashes into the living space.

This does not happen when a balloon is installed. Virtually no air gets past the balloon.

They are also easy to install and remove which increases the chance that they will be used.

Be sure to measure your chimney before you purchase a chimney balloon, but you do have some slack: up to 6 inches on either side larger than your chimney size should work fine. Also make sure to leave the balloon tag in the fireplace so you don't forget the balloon is up there.

Happy hump day!

Test Lab: Volt-Star EcoCharger-Smart Gear or Stupid Gimmick?

SageFriedman — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:04:42 +0000

It seems like every day new gizmos come on the market trying to make us feel more green. Gadgets are often marketed on their energy saving or environmental credentials with little evidence to justify their claims. Here at Energy Circle we love smart gear that works, and disdain green washing hype. Our test lab puts new and old products through the gauntlet to find out if they perform or if they are just gimmicks.

The Volt-Star EcoCharger is a replacement cell phone/mobile device charger that purports to eliminate the wasted idle power draw (aka Vampire Power) that typical chargers consume when left plugged in all the time. The EcoCharger is not a “smart charger” per se, but it does have a default kill switch that prevents vampire power. Operation is simple - plug it into your phone, push the green button, a light comes on and your phone charges. Once charged the kill switch reactivates and it reverts to drawing zero power.

The Volt-Star EcoCharger is just one of several “eco/green” chargers on the market (AT&T ZERO, iGo green among others). The question is, how much energy and money does it and other similar devices actually save? We know that vampire power can add up substantially, but is it worth $25-$30 to defang your phone or tablet?

We tested the EcoCharger with an iPad 2 and iPhone 3GS using two electricity monitors - a Belkin Conserve Insight and a UFO. The Apple iPad charger draws around 12 watts when charging, and is within the margin of error on both electricity monitors when not charging (between 0 and 0.5 watts). Similarly the iPhone charger draws between 2.5 and 4.75 watts when charging and has a comparable vampire load (<0.5w). Just to give this some perspective, that means here is Southern Maine, an iPad 2 under perpetual charge at 12w x 24 hours x 365 days, would cost roughly $15 annually (@$0.145/kWh including transmission from CMP) and a perpetually charging iPhone at 4w would cost just over $5.

What we are concerned with in this test is the idle power draw – let’s assume that each device is plugged in charging for 4 hours a day, and that the plug is left in, drawing vampire power, for 20 hours a day. Further, let’s assume that the idle draw is the full margin of error at 0.5w. If that is the case the actual value of the vampire power draw for a year is less than $0.55 (@ Northeast rates). This could get a little more complicated if we factor in TOU pricing, but even if your marginal rate was $0.35/kWh (like certain PG&E customers running in excess) you’d still spend less than $1.50 a year on idle power.

This puts the payback on this device somewhere between 20 and 50+ years depending on your electricity rates.

Bottom Line – There is a great deal of energy wasted as vampire power in most homes, but your cell phone’s charger is not one of the main culprits. As replacement phone chargers go, there is nothing particularly egregious about the Volt-Star EcoCharger, it charges just as well as the one that came with the phone and does not charge a premium for its "green" qualities. That said, the actual energy savings are miniscule, and the attempt to market the EcoCharger based on energy savings is silly, at best. With a potentially multi-decade payback, it’s a fairly safe bet that the EcoCharger will end up in the recycling long before it’s saved you any money.

If fighting vampire power is one of your goals (and we think it should be), your money would be far better spent on smart power strips, like a BITS Smart Strip, for your home entertainment system and your home office.

Price: $25 to $30 (Available with adapters for Apple products or Micro USB)

Father’s Day is Sunday June 19th: Give Dad A Lower Energy Bill

SageFriedman — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:09:59 +0000

It’s almost Father’s Day, and for many of us that could spark a last minute scramble to find a gift suitably different from the assortment of ties, personal grooming products and leather goods we’ve been falling back on for a decade or more. This year, Energy Circle has your back: we’ve rounded up a selection of gifts that will make your dad say thank you (and mean it this time): gadgets and tools that will give him what he really wants – to save money on his energy bills this month and every month.

Programmable Thermostats

Give Dad complete power over his home climate and help him save up to $15 a month* with Aube’s sleek, easy to read, easy to program, 4 setting, 7-day digital thermostat. It is simple to install, can control multiple sources for both heating and cooling, and is available in Low Voltage and Line Voltage models. ($55 to $57.50)

Home Energy Audit & Air-Sealing Tools

If you are serious about helping Dad save money on heating and cooling you could give him a professional home energy audit. The auditor will be able to point out problems (like air leaks and poor insulation) and identify smart energy efficiency measures for any budget. A good auditor will even recommend applicable government incentives to help pay for the improvements. If your Dad is the DIY type you can also give him the tools that air-sealing professionals use – like the Todol Pur Shooter Foam Gun ($32) with a case of low VOC, formaldehyde free, OSI GreenSeries PRO Foam II ($23 per can)– to help fill the gaps by the floor joists and the holes in the attic after the audit is complete. If you are feeling generous you could pick up a spare caulk gun and offer to help.

Crank Powered

If you are trying to stay practical but gadgets are a Father’s day must, we recommend the Freeplay Flashlight Emergency Center. These high quality crank powered LED flashlights provide a great mix of frugal convenience and smart disaster preparedness. During a power outage the charging case lights up so it’s easy to find, and while each flashlight trickle charges when docked, they can be recharged over and over in an emergency with less than a minute of cranking.

Home Energy Monitors

Give dad the gift of knowledge with a home energy monitor, like the easy to install Blue Line PowerCost Monitor ($109) which provides real time data on the whole house’s energy use. Upgraded with the optional wifi-gateway ($149), the PowerCost can also connect to Google Powermeter or Microsoft Hohm to track energy usage over time.

Of course, if your Dad is already an energy efficiency geek you may need to step things up to the eMonitor Home Energy Monitoring System ($687 to $1,387 with 2 years of service). This best-in-class energy monitor will give your father total home energy awareness - circuit by circuit detail on every kilowatt hour. The eMonitor also has an iPhone app (Android app coming soon) that will allow your father to monitor his home from anywhere. The eMonitor now features customizable safety, cost and usage updates that trigger an automated message sent to your dad’s e-mail or mobile phone to let him know when the lights are left on or if any of his large appliances start to lose efficiency.

*EnergyStar estimate for average savings when properly using a programmable thermostat. Varies by climate region and fuel source

Home Energy Efficiency for the Backyard.

Will — Thu, 05 May 2011 17:47:18 +0000

Round about this time of year, we all get psyched to start spending a little more time outside: grilling, chilling, etc.

While we’re not thinking a lot about home energy consumption when we’re hanging in the back yard, the truth is that there are a bunch of quick and easy upgrades you can make to your outdoor haven to save money and cut your dependence on dirty fuel sources -- all while making your yard a cooler place to hang out.

Here are a few:

1) Upgrade your outdoor light fixtures with weather-proof CFLs.

Most compact fluorescent bulbs aren’t designed to work in locations where they’ll be exposed to extreme temperatures or rough weather, but some are. Check out the Philips Outdoor Postlight or the TCP Wet Location Springlamp, and make sure to grab a CFL RecyclePak so you can properly dispose of all your old CFLs when they finally wear out.

2) Get the cheapest solar power on the market.

You don’t need to invest in a full solar PV system to take advantage of the sun’s power. Solar lights like the Brinkmann Solar Motion-Sensing Security Light and the Brinkmann Solar Accent Garden Light charge up during the day time, and light up when they need to (the LED garden light features a light sensor, so it automatically lights up when it gets dark). Smart, efficient, affordable. The ambient glow from the garden light is enough to light your paths and provide ambience without keeping your neighbors awake, and the security light is sufficient to keep out the burglars (and help you get to the door without tripping over your garden tools). Also, be sure to check our aging post about why the Brinkmann garden lamp is the best solar garden light in the world.

3) Install timers or motion sensors on your outdoor lights.

Both of these options have been around forever, and we usually think of them more for their convenience and common-sense than for their energy saving capabilities. But not leaving all of your outdoor lights on all night long can save a ton of energy (especially when you consider how often we forget to switch off the outdoor lights during the day, because we can't tell that they're on). An all-in-one solution that we dig is this solar powered, motion-detecting security light from Brinkmann.

4) Crank-powered fun.

Spring means games. Fun ones. Like my personal favorite when I was a kid: running around in the woods, raising hell. At night. Just be sure, if your kids go running around at night, that they're equipped with a flashlight that won't leave them stranded and lightless. Crank powered flashlights won't do that.

5) Landscaping for Comfort.

But it's not all about the gadgets. In fact, by far the biggest energy hogs in your house are the heating and cooling systems, and you can reduce that load by a significant portion by incorporating strategic landscaping into your energy efficiency strategy. Trees around your house, for example, shade it in the summer without blocking the sun in the winter. Learn more about how to landscape for energy efficiency here.

Then again, how about this: next time it's nice out, just shut down everything in your house and go outside. It'll do you some good.

Energy Circle’s Gift Guide: Cool Stuff, That Saves Energy Too.

Will — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:03:44 +0000

Although it might be too late to buy Hanukkah presents, there’s still plenty of time before Christmas (says the guy who hasn't started shopping yet...) Anyway, we’d like to make a humble suggestion that this year you think about buying a gift or two that, while still being fun, will also do some good. Cool stuff, that saves energy too.

With buildings representing close to 40% of our nation’s carbon emissions, we think that some of the best gifts for the planet (and for humanity) are those that will reduce energy consumption in the home. Accordingly, we’ve compiled a list of energy saving gifts for every budget, and for every taste:

1) A Home Energy Audit.

A good home energy audit by certified home performance professional is the most important first step in addressing your home’s energy use. With 46% of the typical home’s energy bills going towards heating and cooling, your home’s thermal envelope is the area of your home ripest for improvement. An energy audit uses a blower door and infrared diagnostics to pinpoint where your home is wasting energy, and gives you a prioritized list of improvements based on their return on investment (ROI). It can cost anywhere from $100-400, and may be eligible for tax incentives in your area. Talk to your local home performance contractor for information about special deals or rebates.

2) A Home Energy Monitor.

We firmly believe that one of the most important steps toward getting your home’s energy consumption under control is to measure it. Home energy monitors range from simple whole-house monitors in the $100 range (the Blue Line Powercost Monitor is one of our favorites) to state of the art, full service, circuit by circuit monitors like the Powerhouse Dynamics eMonitor, available exclusively at Energy Circle, which is $829 with an extended service plan included.

3) Energy Efficient Lighting.

Energy efficient lighting covers a broad swathe of products. While we probably wouldn’t recommend giving a CFL light bulb to your fiance, there are a bunch of very cool energy saving lamps and other alternative lighting products that are as classy (or as fun) as anything you’d buy at the home design store (or the fun store). The MaxLite Ellegra LED Desk Lamp represents the pinnacle of lighting technology today, with adjustable output and light color temperature, and would be a perfect gift for the college student or the professional on your list. Crank powered flashlights are great for the kids, and this portable LED book light is perfect for the reader-nomad (or the wife).

4) Energy Saving Tools.

A carpenter I worked with in college once said “He who dies with the most tools wins.” While that may or may not be the case (it is), there are a bunch of cool tools that can help your loved one save money in his or her house. Then when they’re done, they can come over to your house and help you save energy, too. Our favorites: thermal leak detectors (fascinating) and spray foam guns (fun... and useful.)

5) Switches, Timers and Other Energy Saving Gadgets.

Like giving a gadget and money at the same time, motion sensing light switches, light timers and appliance timers and smart power strips are all great ways to reduce a home’s electricity consumption. They may not be for your 10-year-old niece, but they’re actually pretty cool: smart power strips allow each of your peripheral devices (printers, DVD players, etc) to be turned on/off automatically according to the on/off status of a central device (computer, TV). Light timers are increasingly sophisticated, too, allowing you to program random on/off settings for lights while you’re on vacation. The Kill a Watt timer even allows you to view an electronic device’s energy consumption in real time.

Best of all, you can grab any of this stuff right now, without even leaving your seat. That's both efficient and convenient.

Happy holidays!

LED Holiday Lights: Extravagance Sans Guilt.

Will — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:45:27 +0000

That time again: around town, it’s indeed beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The tree downtown is decorated, the neighbors are on the roof (theirs, not yours) setting up Rudolphs and Santas (okay, not in my neighborhood, but maybe in yours), and you’re realizing that your aging Holiday lights don’t work.

Fret not! The season is young, and there’s no need to run down to the local pharmacy to drop your hard-earned dough on another set of cheap Christmas lights that will just stop working again next year anyway. We have some very cool LED holiday lights for whatever your tastes. They’ll save energy, will far outlast the old-fashioned ones, and will be a talking point when your neighbor comments on how gorgeous you’re lights look this year.

Here are some of our favorites:

The Classic White Holiday LED Light String:

Beautiful, energy efficient (only 4.8 watts), and up to 40 light strings can be connected to a single outlet (not that you’d need 40 strings... unless you’re the competitive type, I guess.)

The Classic Multi-Color Holiday LED Light String:

Sleeker than your traditional multi-colored Christmas lights, these puppies boast 70 red, yellow, green and blue LEDs on a dark green string, and a total energy consumption of just 4.8 watts.

The Classic Candelabra Flame Tip LED Bulb:

Not strictly Holiday lights, these LED candelabra bulbs from TCP are gorgeous, and sip a mere 3 watts a piece. They’re great for retrofitting your holiday window fixtures, or for using throughout the year in chandeliers and other strategic spots. Also great for harkening back lost lovers and inspiring rock ‘n roll songs.

For the record, you read that right: they’re all classics. But with a twist. Because Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, whatever: they’re all about tradition. But they’re also all about love. And energy efficient lighting -- as much as it will save you money and hassle -- is also about caring.

Happy holidays!

In Honor of Halloween, Kill Your Energy Vampires.

Will — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:41:42 +0000

Note: This is a re-post of an article we published at this time last year. Most likely, we'll continue to post it every year until the curse that is vampire energy is forever banished from this earth.

Halloween's coming up, and we'd like to remind you that vampires are real, and that they're sucking power in your house. Energy vampires are appliances or household electronics that continue to draw electricity even when you think they're turned off. Truth is, a lot of these gadgets and gizmos aren't actually turned off until they're cut off from the power source altogether. Until then, they're often actually on standby mode, in which they continue sucking power - whether they're doing anything useful or not.

And we're not talking small potatoes here. When you add up all the vampires in your house (and you can carry that on to all the vampires in the country, or in the world!), it winds up being a lot of wasted electricity, and wasted money. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), standby power actually accounts for 45 billion killowatt-hours of electricity in American households each year, costing U.S. consumers more than $3.5 billion annually. ACEEE also estimates that vampires are responsible, on average, for about 5% of household electricity consumption.

The good news is that you can stop this leaking electricity, kill these energy sucking vampires, reduce standby power, save money and help save the planet - and it's not all that hard to do. One option is to make sure any potential energy vampires (TVs, DVD players, video game consoles, printers, fax machines - pretty much anything with a light on) are unplugged when they're not being used. Another (easier, and therefore more effective) option is to invest in a smart power strip like a BITS Smart Strip, and kill those energy vampires where they lie.

This Energy Circle video shows how you can use a Kill-a-Watt or a similar electricity monitor to identify vampires, and a smart power strip to take 'em out. And it's funny, too:

Energy Monitor Product Reviews: Our (Subjective) Analysis of the Top Monitors on the Market.

Tom Harrison — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 21:29:52 +0000

We recently published ten new articles in our Learn section reviewing each of the major home energy monitoring devices on the market today, along with some related products like Google’s free PowerMeter software.

You’ll have to take a look at the full review page for complete details; but for now, here’s a quick rundown of each of the monitors (and software, and some other things) we reviewed. Bear in mind that over the last year we have tested and reviewed many energy monitoring solutions, and our conclusions are only what we arrive at as of when we evaluate the product.

In no particular order:

In the mean time, feel free to take a peak, browse around, let us know what you think or if you’ve had any different experiences with any of the products -- we’d love to hear about it!