electricitybills

The coming electricity revolution will see conventional meters phased out in favor of "smart" meters to help create the smart grid. It should be a win-win for customers and the utilities -- but the utilities are getting greedy.

Some TVs use as much electricity as a refrigerator, one of the home's biggest energy hogs. Yet big-screen TVs come in energy-efficient models at prices comparable to the electricity-gobbling beasts. Trouble is, you can't spot them just by looking at them. Side by side, they may appear identical,...

First Solar, one of the world's biggest solar manufacturers, is looking toward 2011 with plenty of good cheer. According to its latest forecast, released Tuesday, the company expects sales to heat up some 46% in spite of lower subsidies in Germany, the world's largest solar market.

International Business Machines (IBM) is searching for a method that will cut devices' power consumption by 90% and reduce so-called vampire energy - power used by machines when they are turned off. IBM's Zurich lab is developing a transistor to regulate energy usage more efficiently, Bloomberg...

Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, when for eight months people will be fooled into thinking that the extra hour of light will save them money -- or at least not much money. Last year at this time I wrote about how moving the clock forward an hour will get you more light during the day, but won't...

The smiley face that teachers put on good homework papers is rearing its smiley head in another spot: Utility bills. Power company customers who use less power get a smiley face, or a few if they're really saving a lot of electricity, from utilities in Sacramento, Seattle and Chicago, according to...

One of the problems with suggesting ways to drop one's energy bill is that the savings are generally small and incremental. Consequently, many money-saving methods can end up costing you more (at least in the first year) than they save. That having been said, there are many reasons to invest a...