Almost a year ago we posted on a plug-in vehicle tracker, but today CNN had a nice article today on Electric Vehicles being introduced in 2012. The list isn't totally comprehensive, but it's a great start.  We've added the notes after the car name. Chevrolet Volt (Plug-in hybrid) Nissan Leaf (...
Last week we wrote the post What will 2012 have in store for energy conservation where we stated that two things needed to occur before Americans change the relationship they have with energy: Americans will have to place more value on conserving energy. More innovative products and services to...
Ok, maybe Armageddon is a bit of an exaggeration As 2011 comes to a close, I'm curious to see what 2012 will bring to the home energy market. In 2011 we saw the announcement of the Nest thermostat, witnessed the demise of Google PowerMeter and Microsoft Hohm, built a Porsche EV, covered renting...
My wife and I have lived in our town-home for over 3 years now.  I don't want to brag or anything, but I just got elected to the HOA board (it was a grueling race for 5 spots; there were 7 candidates so the odds were in my favor.  My main goal is to build a dog park for the HOA).  While I love...
Over 2 years ago we wrote about the Woody Gasifier, a device that took in wood and then produced gas that was burned in a generator to create electricity.  It seems that this device and associated website is no longer supported, but I recently heard about another project that enables individuals...
I first heard about the Open Source Energy Monitor from Alexander Bischoff at Open4Energy.  We've covered all sorts of home energy monitors, and through our coverage and our own experience we've been able to get a good feel for what works... and what doesn't.  It is my personal belief that home...
It still amazes me that with all our posts dedicated to trying to help homeowners save energy, our most popular posts are on free energy scams (mainly magniwork and hojo motor).  I've gone back and forth with the energy ignorant in the comment section of these posts, but I've never written a...
 If you're an energy geek like me, chances are you may have heard the rumblings over the past few weeks of the cold fusion device demonstrated by Andrea Rossi. The e-cat (energy catalyzer) is now available for sale to businesses on Rossi's Leonardo Corporation website.  From Rossi's website (...
We first wrote about natural gas vehicles a few months ago.  The first post was on the advantages of using natural gas over oil as a transportation fuel.  The second part focused on how you could use natural gas to power a car or truck.  The following post was written by Bob Strickland, an expert...
I mentioned in our post "Drain your water heater, increase efficiency" how I noticed that the copper pipe delivering hot water from the tank to my house was exposed.  My solution follows: 1. Went to the hardware store (Home Depot) and spent $2.46 on some 3/4" copper pipe insulation 2. Spent 2...
Water heating is commonly listed as the second highest energy load in the home.  Of course this depends on how big your family is, and what energy source you use to heat your water (electricity or natural gas).  We use natural gas, and based on how low my summer natural gas bills are (we also use...
The Hojo Motor is a scam.  If you purchased the Hojo Motor plans before reading this post, I'm sorry, you got scammed.  If you purchase the Hojo Motor plans after reading this post, you are dumb.  Plain and simple.  I'm sorry to use harsh words here, but sometimes it's necessary to be blunt in...
Blink DC Fast Charger at Cracker Barrel, Lebanon, TN Cracker Barrel and ECOtality today unveiled a new Direct Current (DC) Blink Fast Charger at a restaurant location in Lebanon, TN.  This is the first of twelve Cracker Barrel restaurants in Tennessee that will connect Nashville, Knoxville and...
I was actually driving home from work today lamenting the fact that there hasn't been any products in the home energy conservation or clean energy market lately that have gotten me excited.  Then I saddled up to my computer and read a Fox news article on the Nest learning thermostat. Nest was...
Disclaimer: I started writing this right after Steve Jobs passed away. My views have changed a little and I appreciate his contribution a little more, but my underlying sentiment has stayed the same. My feelings are marred by own prejudice against leaders who tend to act in their own self-...
I have to travel a lot for my job in outside sales.  Most of this is driving, which is why I wanted a high mileage clean diesel Jetta TDI.  To keep me entertained while driving, I like to listen to podcasts.  One of my favorite is Planet Money.  They recently had a great interview Daniel Yergin,...
What may be the most sustainable community in the United States was launched on the campus of U.C. Davis in California.  West Village at U.C. Davis is a zero net energy community; meaning that all the energy needs of the community are met without having to rely on the electrical grid.  They...
Herman Cain is gaining popularity in the Republican race for the presidential nomination.  I like some of his thoughts, but he couldn't be more wrong when it comes to topics related to energy.  I mentioned this on my post "How we can pay less for gas" when I referenced an email he sent to...
Getty Images today announced a report called The Curve which focuses on how energy companies can communicate with their customers better, and how those customers can visualize something like energy.  From the Getty press release: The exclusive report, which took over three months to compile,...
We're finally able to open our windows in the evenings to stay cool, so I know home heating season is right around the corner! Traditional sources of heating homes rely heavily on fossil fuels: heating oil and natural gas. But there are other options!  We've covered many of these on Mapawatt,...

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