So much for saving the planet. A recent survey reveals that over the past few years, Americans have become less likely to say they care a great deal about the current and future state of the environment. Similarly, we’re also less likely today to purchase all-natural or organic products, bother trying to use less water, and reuse things we already own—not when we can buy new stuff and toss the old items in the trash.
The Associated Press reports that the Phillips LED light bulb that won the government’s L Prize—a $10 million contest to replace the traditional incandescent bulb—will go on sale as of Earth Day with a full retail price of $60. Yes, that’s $60 per bulb, not $60 for an entire house full of bulbs.
If done properly, a smartly built green home featuring solar power, energy-efficient appliances, and proper insulation can result in the owner facing monthly electricity bills amounting to $0, or thereabouts. Now, one homebuilder is making such “net-zero” features standard in several communities around the U.S.
The data on housing costs isn’t pretty. Most experts recommend spending no more than one-third of your income on housing, and yet, in a new study, nearly one in four American households now spends more than half of its income on housing. Renters are experiencing especially tough times of late: At the same time that [...]
Signs indicate that the mild non-winter of 2011-2012 is giving the economy a much-needed boost. Warm weather has helped employment in fields such as construction, and also helped consumers save on heating bills. More jobs, and a little more money in American consumers’ pockets, have meant increased spending at places such as home improvement stores, [...]
If you stayed the course last year and never switched banks, wireless companies, pay TV services, or any other providers, then you’re in the minority. And if you actually feel “very loyal” to your providers, then you’re part of an even smaller minority.
A new report estimates that the average American worker drops nearly $1,100 annually on coffee. That’s not much less than what the average worker spends to commute to the job.
There aren’t many people who are complaining that this winter has been too warm, too storm-free, and altogether too comfortable. But there is one group griping the weather just isn’t cold or snowy enough: retailers that sell coats, boots, shovels, mittens, long underwear, and other winter gear.
It’s not your imagination. Your electricity bill really has been getting higher and higher.
New customers are routinely wooed with special discounts for services like pay TV and newspaper subscriptions. Existing customers, on the other hand, can expect regularly escalating bills unless they put up a fight or beg for a price break. Why do businesses treat loyal customers this way?
Thanks to Mother Nature and power grid glitches, American households in Connecticut, San Diego, and many parts in between have been without power for extended periods of time in recent weeks. Now, in the wake of cell phones that can’t be recharged, night after night lit only by flashlight, and obscene amounts of spoiled food, [...]
