Sometimes when a good thing becomes THE hot thing, the ensuing rush by other companies to jump on the bandwagon and produce as many widgets as possible can create big disparities in quality.

Unfortunately, compact fluorescent light bulbs appear to be suffering from a touch of this malady.

Some consumers, eager to save energy and lower their bills, are finding out the compact fluorescent bulbs didn’t last as long as they expected. With constant use, one of these bulbs should last about a year. With normal use, it should last seven to 10 years. But not all manufacturers’ products are living up to that expectation.

Two factors appear to be at play. More...

I just returned to Seattle from the Mediterranean, where I was pursuing the conservation of some personal energy.

Besides catching up on some rest, relaxation and the relics of the ancient world, I was impressed to see the extensive use of solar energy that is taking place in southern Europe and Egypt. Whether in the Spanish countryside near Barcelona, the urban center of Athens or the road to Giza, I kept spotting solar panels on rooftops, so I’m using THIS SPACE to share that experience. More...

It’s hard not to feel a little better when you see the holiday lights decorating our neighborhoods – even when your neighbor overdoes it a bit, like the inflatable snowman dancing to choreographed lights and music down the street from my house.

And this year, THIS SPACE has even more reasons to feel good. Seattle area residents are quickly adopting the use of energy efficient LED lights for their holiday decorations.

A dramatic example came at the lighting of the Christmas tree at Westlake Center when the crowd cheered the announcement that, for the second year in a row, the tree was lit with only LEDs. More...

In my job for Seattle City Light I attend a lot of community events to share the same energy conservation message THIS SPACE is dedicated to: simple steps can cut your electricity use and keep a few extra bucks in your pocket.

One of the best and easiest options is to switch from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs. They use about a third of the electricity and last up to 10 years, which can save as much as $33 in energy costs over the life of the bulb. More...

Seattle City Light is taking conservation to an even higher level. A five-year Conservation Action Plan unveiled recently by Mayor Greg Nickels outlines the utility’s strategy to more than double the community’s current savings. To achieve this goal, the utility is investing $185 million in 31 conservation programs. That's seven times the national average for conservation spending on a per capita basis. Read more. More...

Electronic gadgets fill our days. At work, I typically carry a pager, a work cell phone and my personal cell phone. And at some point all those devices need to be charged.

Obviously, that uses electricity. What many of us don’t recognize that once our favorite devices are done charging and we unplug them for use, the charger is still drawing electricity from the wall socket. Electricity is being thrown away, just like a leaky faucet wastes water. More...

A $4.99 turtle can teach you a lot about the unexpected energy costs of owning a pet, so choose wisely. More...

A planet-friendly trend appears to be taking off around some new thinking in how we use energy.

There are many activities from manufacturing steel to storing data on computer servers that require significant electricity or other power and generate heat as a byproduct. Until recently, much of that heat was considered a problem to get rid of. Data centers use air conditioning to cool server rooms and the furnaces of a steel plant are vented after melting the metal. Now, some organizations are recognizing how that heat can be put to additional use. More...

On Earth Day, the Seattle Mariners are set to host the first carbon-neutral baseball game in major league history.

The Mariners are working with (shameless plug) my employer --Seattle City Light-- and the utility’s Green Up program to power Safeco Field with wind energy all day April 22. Additionally, the team is purchasing carbon offsets for all its travel and operations that day while also promoting waste reduction and recycling. More...

While an organization in Texas is trying an innovative approach to grow algae that could be used for biofuels and Australia has launched its first project to sequester greenhouse gases from a coal power plant underground, Seattleites best opportunity to make a personal impact on reducing climate change still comes back to conserving energy.

An intriguing tip THIS SPACE recently discovered was a reminder to take advantage of Seattle’s free Wi-Fi network the next time you are out and about and need to check e-mail rather than making an extra trip back to your office or home. More...