We're fixing a hole.
We know that virtually any effort we make to improve our home's energy efficiency is going to pay off. Big time, usually. But when we first set out to find the information we needed to evaluate what the problems in our home were, and fix them, we found a hole. We wanted facts about R-value and audits, tools for insulating, and gadgets that made sense and made life easier. We found stuff here and there. Good information in many cases. But much of it was more technical than we needed, or not delivered succinctly enough for our time-starved lives. Being the build-it types we are, we figured we'd create the resource we wanted. We had a hunch we weren't the only people looking for answers.
So we've been psyched, but not that surprised, by all the feedback we're getting. We've received notes thanking us for putting useful home-energy tools on one site together, and also for providing access to information about how those tools work and why. "Finally!" GC from Massachusetts wrote, "I can see why a monitor makes sense for my household." We've also heard plaintive cries for more: "I still don't quite understand. I would like to know earlier on that this kit enables me to use plastic film and rails to make an interior storm window to fit any window. How many windows can I cover with one kit? How much does it increase my R-value? How does it mount? Will I need tools? Etc."
So we've launched a series of buying guides. And we're asking for your feedback on them. Too much? Too little? Useful? Please comment to help us make them work for you.
Here's a quick overview of the first four. In our Power Strips Buyers' Guide, we take the mystery out of vampire power, and clarify what a good power strip can do to keep computers and entertainment centers from buzzing their way through the night. Our Electricity Monitors Guide gets to the heart of measuring energy use in your household, and distinguishes between monitors that rat out energy sapping appliances one by one, and those that keep tabs on the whole house, 24/7. We took some time to get our heads around a guide to Programmable Thermostats in hopes that this potentially easy road to saving money will feel a little smoother for you. And frankly, we had a ball writing a buyers' guide about lighting. Efficient lighting has come a long, long way.
We will keep adding guides, and we hope to keep hearing from you about what else you need to make comfortable and informed choices. We believe that every homeowner has the right and the ability to benefit from energy-efficiency, and we'll do everything in our power to make it easy.
If we do our job right, you'll find the answers you need, when you need them, with no holes to trip you up.
Let us know what needs fixing next.
