Losing power at home—even if it’s just for a few minutes—is inconvenient at best, but it can quickly become dangerous even under everyday circumstances. Your local utility company works hard to keep their customers safe and restore power as soon as possible, but it’s a good idea to be prepared for extended outages, especially if…
Residents of the southeast US know that hurricane season is no laughing matter. These literal forces of nature can plague the region from June until the end of November depending on the year. Although these storms have become an expected consequence of living so close to the Gulf, over time they can become a major…
Freshwater is one of the most precious resources on the planet. Only about 2.5% of the world’s water is fresh, and about 70% of that is frozen and inaccessible, so it’s important to take care of the water we have circulating our cities and homes. Further, conserving water at home is an effective way to…
It seems like everything is going smart these days: refrigerators, vacuums, water bottles, and now—light bulbs? Smart bulbs are arguably the easiest way to begin your smart home upgrades. For some systems, all you have to pop them in your sockets and download an app. Compared to traditional lighting, smart lighting is a more advanced…
Do you remember the first time you realized that air conditioning wasn’t free? We’d be willing to bet that one of your parents taught you this lesson. It was likely after you held the front door open a bit too long. Now that you have to pay for it yourself, the idea of leaving the…
In this season of beach vacations, tan lines, popsicles, and sunshine, it’s easy to forget that hurricane season is upon us. Start gathering your supplies now so you’re prepared when the next tropical depression morphs into a superstorm. Getting ready for a hurricane shouldn’t strike fear into your heart. It’s actually a great excuse to…
As the temperatures rise, so does our daily energy use. You can thank the humidity as well as the heat. You’re likely blasting your air conditioning during the hottest time of the day to stay cool, which usually coincides with the hours that energy prices are at their highest. The desire to be comfortable at…
Summer is here—and with that, its scorching heat makes us want to turn up our air conditioning and avoid the outdoors. But doing so can put quite the strain on your energy bill. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. With all of the new energy-saving technology available today, you can enjoy your summer…
Electricity for Kids: Learning about Currents, Static, and Electrical Safety Kids are exposed to electricity long before they even realize what it is. Think about kids’ cartoons. The characters are often represented as having an idea when a lightbulb image appears above their head, or characters take cover during a lightning storm. While these are…
The results are in: 70 percent of Americans polled believe that climate change is real. This finding tracks almost exactly with the 2016 Yale Climate Opinion Maps survey, which found that 69 percent of respondents answered “yes, global warming is happening.” But there’s more to opinions about climate change than its inevitability and what we…