Home Utilities Hack Archives | Page 62 of 144 | The Cool Down

A hand holds a smartphone in front of a white appliance with a digital display.

Home

Water may be the next smart-home frontier, from leak alerts to greywater recycling

A power strip with multiple phone chargers and cables on a wooden surface.

Home

For one homeowner, a plugged-in phone charger used 0.9 kWh a year; a water heater used 2,706

A portable generator on a paved surface near a wall.

Home

Chicago endures power outages, and officials warn portable generators can kill

Solar panels installed on a roof and a wall, with a green chair and toy in the foreground.

Home

Connecticut homeowner built a $600 plug-in solar setup, and it made nearly $400 in a year

A person interacts with an open generator located on a concrete slab near shrubs.

Home

After Michigan outages hit his mom's house, homeowner bought standby generators for both homes

A modern two-story house with a stone facade and a white pickup truck parked in the driveway.

Tech

Winter Storm Uri pushed a Texas man to buy an F-150, and now it can power his home in outages

A portable generator.

Home

Louisiana homeowners compared generator sizes for outages, and many wished they'd gone bigger

A generator covered by a blue and white striped umbrella on a gravel surface.

Home

Portable generator kept a well, fridge, and freezer running through a 2-day outage

Two men examine a solar panel while discussing its features.

Home

Homeowner asked how to go solar without getting scammed, and Reddit had 3 blunt rules

A hand is adjusting the control panel of a dishwasher in a dark kitchen.

Home

Texas resident switched to time-of-use billing and saw a summer power bill fall from $210 to $130

A dirty floor with debris and a small pool of water near a gray water heater.

Home

Homeowner found water under heater, learned replacement could slash future energy bills

A digital thermostat mounted on a wall next to light switches and a green plant.

Home

Minnesota utilities will pay you to let them tweak your thermostat during peak heat