Plugged In with WattBuy

Solar and wind energy is becoming less and less expensive and more and more states are demanding to be powered by renewable energy. California, a leader in renewable energy usage, has a goal of operating on 33% renewable energy by 202

Ice creams are melting, air conditioners are running, and electricity bills are soaring. Last Friday was Texas' hottest day in July and it almost broke the electricity grid. The state nearly broke the record of energy use on Thursday as people continue to blast air conditioning in their homes and offices in an effort to beat the heat. And that means people have electricity bill

The short answer: yes. If we assume you will drive 50 miles per week with a car that goes 23 miles per gallon, then you will go through 8.7 gallons of gas per month. In Houston TX, you will pay $18.3 per month in gas. In New York City, NY, you will pay $22.4 per month in gas. If you were to switch to the new Tesla Model 3 the amount of money you would need to spend on the additional electricity required to char

Electricity grids have been powering cities across the world since the early 1900s. As the world continues to develop at different speeds, and rural areas demand more and more electricity, is the traditional electricity grid still the best option? Providing electricity to countryside homes will likely have ripple effects on eradicating poverty and increasing the sustainable development

There is a continuous problem in the US surrounding wind farms. As coal prices continue to rise and renewables continue to fall, the US will likely begin switching to renewable energy, if not for the environmental benefits, then for the economic savings. Source: Bloomberg However, there is one problem facing this switch: everybody wants wind ene

Typically, the summer months are when Americans consume more electricity when running air conditioners to cool their homes. The graph below averaged the amount of electricity used by residents of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Delaware, DC, Maryland, and Texas from April 2016-March 2017. The data used has been normalized so that the difference in number of days per month is equal, relatively speaking. Over the course of the year,

Although most electricity is used in the summer months (for air conditioning), in the 2016-2017 winter months, December and January were actually the two highest months of usage. In the 2016-2017 winter season, residents of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Delaware, DC, Maryland, and Texas paid the highest electricity bills in December and January. Although the magnitude differed in each state, the data clearly shows that December and J

WattBuddy won the top prize for best overall app in the Department of Energy's Apps for Energy contest, the second piece of the American Energy Data Challenge. On Wednesday Secretary of Energy Dr. Ernest Moniz announced the winners and presented WattB with a plaque, at an energy Datapalooza sponsored by the White House. 

I forgot to post this before, but Ronald Barba did a great writeup of WattBuddy and WattZ in Tech Cocktail last month. He talked to me and covered both applications really well in the run up to the Department of Energy contest. I'm super excited that he took the time to dive deep and help us get the word out about saving money and electricity with WattB.