Events

In my experience tankless water heaters are the way to go in areas with little sun.

In sunny areas, water can act as an energy sink, absorbing excess energy from your solar panels once any batteries are fully topped up.

But in places where that is not an issue, tankless water heaters can be very energy efficient. My own preference is for gravity fed water, ie your water source, such as a rainwater storage tank, is above the location of the tankless water heater. That way you are not relying on pumps to push the water through the heater, as that requires another energy supply, as the following Q&A from a Winnipeg newspaper shows:…

One of the UK’s biggest power companies has been caught with its hand in its customers pockets –again, and has been forced by regulators to pay back nearly $100m in refunds.

Electricity giant NPower which was fined nearly £2m last year for mis-selling contracts is to pay 1.8m customers an average of $50 each following a three year row over changes to its pricing structure. The internet is alive with furious customers telling the tales of their own rip-off, like this customer who calls the company  “the devil’s own vomit.”…

For the price of insuring your car for a year, you can purchase a bit of catastrophe insurance for you and your family…

“The Key Biscayne Times” September cover story, OFF THE GRID “generated more mail and more comment than anything the BT has published in recent years,” says an editorial in the paper. “Obviously there is tremendous interest in alternative sources of energy and more eco-friendly homes generally.”

Readers praised the efforts of the three individuals highlighted in the story — Albert Harum-Alvarez, Skip Van Cel, and Spike Marro. Just as many were frustrated to read about the governmental obstacles they faced.

Below is a sampling of the comments the Times received:…

Early-modern consumers yearned to return to nature, sensing somewhere along the way, America had taken the wrong turn…

It is not clear if the money was handed over, but the following year PG&E came back asking for a further $5m for the same work…

The growing trend for bustaurants…