As many of you have written to tell us how much you appreciate our candor when it comes to solar leases in our Caution, Think Before you Lease Solar article we thought we should start by saying thank you for reaching out and sharing your thoughts. But despite our warnings, the solar leases are very popular. In fact, the lease has become the most popular way for home owners to “get” solar. So popular even, that we at … Read more

The earthquake and tsunami destruction in Japan is almost too overwhelming to comprehend. The sheer magnitude of the loss is staggering, depressing, and beyond words. We feel terribly for those who where lost and for those left behind with a world shattered beyond recognition. We’d like to reach out to survivors and say the worst is behind them and give them comfort in knowing as they grieve, that we are here to help them rebuild their lives. Sadly, that is … Read more

For the record we are happy that homeowners are opting for solar power instead of dirty grid energy, but without sounding hypocritical, we aren’t buying into the hype over solar leasing. While we admit that “zero down and monthly energy savings” are attractive offers, we see this for what it is, a financing scheme designed to take advantage of a customer’s best environmental intentions. The truth is, if you paid cash or financed via a home equity line, … Read more

• Florescent Light Bulbs • Energy Star Rated Appliances • Ceiling Fans (Energy Star Rated) • Dimmers • Install All-Off Plugs (one button and all the vampire loads are turned off, great for homes that go for periods of time unoccupied.) • Tell Your Kids to go Outside and Play / work rather than play video games ( some of the games take loads close to a refrigerator. ) • A Clothes Line • Adjust your sprinklers every 2 months minimum ( water takes huge amounts of electricity to be delivered to your home / … Read more

Thanks to all of you who came to our Holistic Energy for the Modern Desert Home Lecture and Tour yesterday! A special thanks to those of you who signed our “Be A Better Neighbor” pledge to use less energy. We hope everyone had good time, learned something, and left encouraged by the options you have to reduce your dirty power consumption. Reflecting on the day’s events, we wanted to first say how impressed we were with the large turn … Read more