One of the first home improvements Rachel and I made when we purchased our condo here in Cambridge this spring was a solar hot water installation on our rooftop.

The system we had put in uses vacuum tubes, a newer, more efficient type of solar collector than the black box flat panels of old. As a writer covering energy and the environment in Cambridge and China, I’d spent the past three years tracing this new and exotic technology back to the factories and cities in China where they are surprisingly commonplace.

I first read about the tubes three years ago in a story in the Boston Globe. A family in Newbury, MA was using a massive installation to provide hot water and heat for their giant barn of a house. … [view entry]

This Q&A from the Detroit Free Press provides some useful information on the effect of using humidifiers in the house during the winter months.

Because the Humidifier puts out moisture, you don't have to. That keeps your body warmer.

As I write this post, the Midwest and northern states are in the grip of a deep freeze. Temperatures are extremely low, and when wind chill is added in, it’s barely possible to set foot outside.

But if you are like me, you still need to get to work. For most of the country, that means driving—at least a little, if not an hour-plus commute each way. So why not make your vehicle efficient? We’ve been advising you on ways to make the home more energy smart, so let’s talk about your car for a moment.

One of the best ways to be energy smart with your car is also one of the wisest: drive sensibly. Aggressive driving wastes gas. Jackrabbit starts, sudden stops and herky-jerky speeding up and slowing down can… [view entry]