Here in the Seattle area, we’ve seen record temps for the summer. My neighborhood reached 108 degrees (an all-time high) in late July. For an area with an average summer temp of just 76, that’s impressive and most of us just weren’t prepared. Here’s a few tricks I’ve learned that have helped cool down our [...]

Do an energy audit on your house. One night, I walked into the living room and discovered that there were 24 blinking LED lights on. In the dining room was the piano (electric), which had been left on and one little red LED was there. Six phone/ipod/Bluetooth/laptop chargers sat atop the piano—all plugged into a [...]

I don’t know if you’ve seen the art exhibit about e-waste recently, but it’s shocking how many electronic gadgets we “consume” worldwide in the form of mobile phones, batteries, cameras, etc. Some of these have lived beyond their usefulness. I have on my desk, and old mobile phone/PDA and a digital camera that no longer [...]

You’ve likely noticed that I run ads here on Pennywise Family. It’s how I keep my blog free (ofsetting server, time, etc.) My committment to you is taht I only run ads for companies that *I* use adn taht I think are a good value. I’ve recently found Inksmile.com and added their ads. In my [...]

Let’s face it, much of the energy that is consumed and paid for in your house is likely for things you haven’t noticed. Phone charger left plugged in so you don’t have to climb behind the TV every day to plug it in, etc. Well, my Twitter friends tell me it’s Earth Week, and they [...]