energy conservation

Is it bad to leave chargers plugged in?

A reader seeks clarification on energy-sucking phone and laptop chargers. Umbra divulges the juicy truth.

Wasting energy = blue balls, apparently

It seems to be a pretty time-honored advertising strategy that when you want your message to really hit, you need to connect it to things men want/don't want to happen to their penises. In this example, found on Tumblr, wasting energy is … blue balls, or maybe priapism? And turning off the light is an […]

Ask Umbra: Is it bad to leave a window open when the heat is on?

Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, When I was in college, I had a friend who thought she was eco-conscious, but she used to crank the heat and then leave the windows open for “fresh air.” Years later, I dated a woman who lived in a building where the heaters were stuck on […]

Pulling the plug on L.A.

The energy savers took on the Empire State Building. Now they’re out to get Los Angeles.

Meet clean energy's smart guy

MacArthur "genius award"-winner Shwetak Patel talks about a future where your house tracks your energy consumption -- and your every move.

Jevons paradox: When doing more with less isn't enough

The 19th-century theory that increased energy efficiency just leads to increased consumption is experiencing a resurgence. But we shouldn't let Jevons Paradox serve as an excuse for inaction.

Sing along to this awesomely cheesy theme song for energy wasters

The musical "Seein' the Light" was written in 1978, but nothing has really changed: People still deny there's a fuel or climate crisis, and they still put on their Serious Thespian black turtlenecks and sing about it. The guy singing is kind of super-intense — he regularly goes 20 seconds or more between blinks — […]

Painting roofs white could save a year's worth of emissions

How bad ideas keep rebounding into public discourse: the rebound effect and its refutation

The rebound effect: a light that never goes out.Cross-posted from the Natural Resources Defense Council. Every few years, a new report emerges that tries to resurrect an old hypothesis: that energy efficiency policy somehow results in consumers using more energy instead of less. This hypothesis was introduced in the 19th century by economist William Stanley […]