As Halloween draws near, beware of vampires – not the mythical blood suckers, but the unrelenting energy suckers draining power from your house right now. These costly creatures can add as much as 20 percent to a family’s utility bill, and that’s a pretty scary thought during these tough economic times.

Energy vampires are the appliances and electronics that continue to use our valuable electricity in standby mode even when turned off. Chargers without anything attached to them represent just some of the culprits. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that five to 10 percent of electricity used Read more »

The town of DISH, Texas (population circa 200) is located in the midst of the major natural gas drilling boom occurring in the Barnett Shale. DISH recently attracted national attention after publicizing results of air pollution measurements taken near a natural gas facility within the city.  DISH leaders hired a consultant to analyze air quality due to concerns about possible harmful effects of emissions from natural gas production on the health of its residents. Their measurements uncovered more than a dozen chemicals at levels that exceeded the Effects Screening Levels used by the Texas Commission on Environmental Read more »