energy conservation

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SCOTUS Rules for Obama Energy-Savings Program

Justices ruled 6-2 for federal program paying large customers to conserve energy

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has upheld a four-year-old federal program that pays large electric customers to save energy during times of peak demand. The justices ruled 6-2 on Monday that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has the authority to issue directives aimed at conserving energy and preventing blackouts. Writing for the...

Your DVR Is an Energy Vampire
 Your DVR Is an Energy Vampire 
Jun 15, 2011 3:56 PM CDT

Your DVR Is an Energy Vampire

New ones use about half the amount of a refrigerator

(Newser) - Your cable box never sleeps—and hence, never stops costing you money. America’s set-top boxes suck down $3 billion worth of electricity, an environmental group said in a report yesterday. The increasingly standard HD-DVRs are especially bad, consuming more than half the energy of an average new refrigerator—roughly...

Let's Label Oil Like Calories
 Let's Label Oil Like Calories 
OPINION
Mar 9, 2011 12:14 PM CST

Let's Label Oil Like Calories

US needs to go on an energy diet as prices rise

(Newser) - With oil prices soaring once more, America’s in for a shock. After all, we use more fossil fuels than any other developed country, using them not just in our cars, but to make, power, and transport nearly everything we buy, observes Amanda Little in the New York Times . This...

Earth Hour Under Way
 Earth Hour Under Way 
Mar 27, 2010 9:38 AM CDT

Earth Hour Under Way

Lights go out for an hour at 8:30pm

(Newser) - Earth Hour is under way, with cities in Australia and New Zealand being the first to turn off the lights in main buildings and landmarks at 8:30pm local time. About 4,000 cities in more than 120 countries are expected to participate in the fourth annual event, reports AP...

Lights Go Out Tomorrow for Earth Hour

Cities across the world flick switches at 8:30pm

(Newser) - Earth Hour returns tomorrow night, with cities across the world turning off the lights at 8:30pm local time. The annual event sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund is in its fourth year and growing quickly. About 30 US state capitals are expected to take part, up from 8 last...

Human Blood Fuels New Light Source
Human Blood Fuels New
Light Source
Oct 2, 2009 10:18 AM CDT

Human Blood Fuels New Light Source

Gruesome lamp intended to make point about energy usage

(Newser) - Figuring that people would use less electricity if they had to cut themselves to turn on the light, a British designer has cooked up the “blood lamp.” The ingenious bulb is full of luminol, a chemical forensic scientists use to check crime scenes for blood, LiveScience explains. Just...

Gizmos' Energy Draw Alarms Experts

Electronic gadgets consume 15% of household energy

(Newser) - All around the house, electronic gadgets are blinking, buzzing, computing—and drawing on an immense amount of energy, the New York Times reports. Worldwide, they take up 15% of household power, and will likely consume three times as much by 2029, making it harder to combat global warming. Two hundred...

Utilities Turn to Peer Pressure to Nudge Customers

Cut your energy use to keep up with Joneses

(Newser) - Would you be more likely to rein in your energy use if you knew it would save money, or if you knew your neighbors used less? Traditional economists assume the former—that consumers do what is in their best interest—but companies are ditching that notion in favor of behavioral...

US Warms to 'Cool' White Roofs
US Warms
to 'Cool'
White Roofs
Jul 30, 2009 8:22 AM CDT

US Warms to 'Cool' White Roofs

Homes, businesses cut AC costs as energy sec proselytizes

(Newser) - White roofs, which energy efficiency advocates have been pushing for 20 years, are finally catching on with homeowners and business across the country, the New York Times reports. The object of a campaign by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, so-called "cool roofs," which absorb less sunlight, can cut AC...

EU May Turn Off Edison's Bulbs

Switch to low-energy bulbs could save $12b a year

(Newser) - The European Union may ban incandescent light bulbs, replacing them with low-energy lighting that would slash 13.2 million tons of carbon emissions and create energy savings equal to taking 11 million European households off the grid, reports the BBC. A new report urges the European parliament to follow the...

Tower Trims Light Show by Half

Green concerns move Paris to confine hourly twinkling to 5 minutes, down from 10

(Newser) - The City of Lights will sparkle just a little less soon, Reuters reports. The Eiffel Tower’s hourly display of flashing lights will be cut in half, from 10 minutes per hour to five, management announced today, setting an energy-saving example for Parisians. The gesture is mostly symbolic, however; the...

Internet Hookup Would Make Appliances More Efficient

Linked fridge, for instance, could adjust usage automatically

(Newser) - Electric bill breaking the bank these days? Your fridge might be able to help, when developers start bringing Internet-ready appliances to market, GigaOm reports. Proactive dashboards could control energy usage to save money and conserve by telling wired appliances to reduce power during certain time periods without human input, and...

Dubai High Rise Would Add Novel Twists

Revolving floors just one of 80-story tower's planned innovations

(Newser) - If heights make your head spin, a planned 80-story tower in Dubai might not be the place for you. Set to be the "world's first building in motion," David Fisher's design features doughnut-shape floors that rotate 360 degrees around a fixed cement core, the AP reports. It would...

GOP Going 'Green,' With Oil on the Side

Party's newly crafted policy backs renewable energy—plus drilling

(Newser) - An elite group of Republican senators met yesterday to craft an energy policy which the GOP claims is greener than the Democrats' plan, and more likely to control gas prices. Republicans will emphasize conservation—along with more nuclear plants and oil drilling—and have dubbed Barack Obama's opposition to increased...

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