by ann | Nov 5, 2025 | Energy Saving Tips
In 2001, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory published the results of the National Human Activity Pattern Survey. It revealed that, on average, Americans spend 87% of their time indoors and an additional 6% in enclosed vehicles. In 1800, 90% of Americans worked...
by ann | Oct 13, 2025 | Energy Saving Tips
As cold weather begins to set in, many people retreat to their garage to escape the chill. As do vehicles, so drivers hope to avoid scraping off ice and snow in the morning. If there’s any space remaining, ongoing projects are moved in with hopes of finishing them...
by ann | Sep 15, 2025 | Energy Saving Tips
Have you ever reminisced about how hot a summer or how cold a particular winter was? It seems to be human nature to compare current outdoor temperatures to weather we experienced in the past. One of the late Johnny Carson’s favorite ways to set up a weather joke was...
by ann | Aug 14, 2025 | Energy Saving Tips
Any long-time grain producer in Nebraska will tell you the key to a successful season depends on their crops getting the correct amount of moisture, in the correct manner and at the correct time without any other major devastations. During some wet years, yields from...
by ann | Jul 15, 2025 | Energy Saving Tips
These days, instead of hearing a local dairy farmer hollering “Bessie,” you’re more likely to hear one of Nebraska’s public power utilities refer to “BESS” when discussing reliability. Rather than a seasoned Holstein cow, however, they are talking about a Battery...
by ann | Jun 12, 2025 | Energy Saving Tips
As summer heats up, it’s great to know your home’s air conditioning system can provide relief. It’s also good to know you can find a cold beverage in your refrigerator to cool down with. That wouldn’t be possible without the refrigeration process pioneered in 1834 by...
by ann | May 21, 2025 | Energy Saving Tips
Have you stopped at or driven by a convenience store in the middle of the day and noticed the canopy lights over the gas pumps are on? Or have you noticed a streetlight in your area that never shuts off? What about a glaring yard light that irradiates over much more...
by ann | Apr 9, 2025 | Energy Saving Tips
You know it’s springtime when you hear certain sounds in the fresh morning air: the gentle rumble of an approaching thunderstorm, the soft buzzing of bees pollinating flowers, the singing of songbirds announcing their return . . . and that overzealous neighbor who...
by ann | Mar 20, 2025 | Energy Saving Tips
Could your home have an Intelligence Quotient (IQ)? While IQ tests are designed to assess human intelligence and not inanimate objects, people are seeking ways for their home to make autonomous, logical decisions and take independent actions to improve security and...
by ann | Feb 13, 2025 | Energy Saving Tips
If you are a Nebraska field crop producer who irrigates, you probably have a preferred method of determining when to turn the pumps on. For most with an occupation not related to farming, their guess as to when to water a crop would be pure speculation. Both groups...
by ann | Jan 6, 2025 | Energy Saving Tips
As a Cornhusker, we love being top-ranked in the nation. However, there’s top ranking we need to be very concerned about: As per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2023 report, Nebraska ranks third in the country for radon prevalence, with about 59% of...
by ann | Dec 13, 2024 | Energy Saving Tips
If you’ve ever lived through a few Nebraska winters in an old house with single-pane windows, you’ve likely observed the exquisite and ornate artwork by “Jack Frost”. Painted overnight, this left-behind artistry of frosty, fern-like patterns seemed to magically appear...
