Comments on: Why Is Clark Howard Giving Bad Energy-Saving Advice?

By: Colin Genge

Colin Genge — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 08:36:48 +0000

Prewarming the bed is the one
Prewarming the bed is the one tip I do like and use all winter. Nothing like getting into a warm bed, then turn off the electric blanket. By the time you fall asleep you're warm in a room that is 60 F.

By: Bill Nickerson

Bill Nickerson — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 04:27:02 +0000

Remember the Indo Window guy
Remember the Indo Window guy was
laughed at in Pittsburgh PH conf.
Tread lightly with that one....

By: jim coler

jim coler — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 00:25:17 +0000

Allison,

Allison,
Great article and I can agree with most of your comments and critique of Clark's recommendations. This is my field to as I used to do spray foam insulation, but now handle everything regarding energy usage and savings, including solar Electric, Solar H2O, LED Lighting, Combined Heat and Power systems, and electric/gas energy from select suppliers at a lower rate than most people can buy it. This is a much more proven way to save energy -by making it yourself and buying it at the lowest price possible.

Like I said, Great article!! Thanks!

By: Robin Boyd

Robin Boyd — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 22:30:59 +0000
As for ceiling fans, it all
As for ceiling fans, it all depends on the application as to whether ceiling fans should be operated one way or the other. For flat ceilings around 8 feet high, it makes little difference, but by having the fan push air upward toward the ceiling at a very low speed will cause the slightly warmer air at the ceiling level to move toward the walls and down to the floor without causing a draft.

For vaulted or cathedral type of ceilings, fans should be left in the same downflow position as they are for cooling season, just operated at an extremely low speed to allow the warmer air that stratifies upward to move to the lower area where people can benefit.

While no fan actually saves energy directly, they can move air to a more desirable area of the room so that thermostats can be lowered in the winter months. In the summer months, the air movement from ceiling fans will cause persons in that room to feel cooler from skin persperation evaporation, also allowing for the thermostat to be adjusted to a more economical setting.

By: Robin Boyd

Robin Boyd — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 22:22:47 +0000
Assuming there are a couple
Assuming there are a couple of typos for number 8, referring to "dehumidifiers" instead of "humidifiers", there is no doubt that a tighter average house with an average amount of people doing average things like cooking and bathing usually does not require additional humidification. For larger houses, or households where little cooking is ever done, a bypass type of humidifier uses no energy. There should be no need for steam or power humidifiers in houses.

By: Dale Sherman

Dale Sherman — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 18:02:08 +0000
Allison,

Allison,
Good review of Howard's energy advice article. Looks like a great opportunity for you to write an article for them about how to achieve real energy savings. You ARE going to do that, aren't you?

We really need a Creative Commons piece for out there that any blogger, writer, news reporter, etc. can grab and use whenever they feel the need to do a piece on saving energy at home. There are far too many bad articles, we need a flurry of good articles before the winter flurries come. Yes, we want to get paid for our efforts, but let's get to a more forward position first instead of always having to write corrections to bad advice.
It is the season for folks looking to weather the winter with lower energy costs, so can your readers write their own piece for their local news media? A flood of good advice would be most welcome.

By: Ted Kidd

Ted Kidd — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 17:36:34 +0000
If you never measure the
If you never measure the "savings",

does it occur?

Are you sure?

Measure before, measure after. Without this rule, how are you not a fool?

By: Steve Waclo

Steve Waclo — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 12:10:35 +0000
Allison,

Allison,

By your account, Mr. Clark produces volumes of valuable information on his site and I trust this unfortunate oversight by him or staff was not a misguided effort to expand his already considerable audience and become the Dr. Oz of energy use. Unfortunately for his readers, he made the mistake of choosing a writer who, as you suggested, simply scoured Google or the backs of cereal boxes for material...very old cereal boxes. Clearly, Mr. Clark or his editors, compounded the error by failing to have the piece fact-checked by someone who knows the energy business, and, more importantly, the science behind it.

BTW, at a recent congressional hearing, Dr. Oz was pilloried for his on-air and print sales tactics yet continues to endorse and spout nonsense about a wide variety of magical dietary supplements. "With great power comes great responsibility" but apparently, once you establish trust you are free to blather at will and, in the case of Dr. Oz, it has become an excellent business model.

Back to Mr. Clark, I found it particularly amusing that 4 of 5 comments following his article had this identical format:

Posted by TinaJuliee

"This comment has been removed for violation of the visitor agreement."

Although I trust his moderators welcome informed discourse, one may only speculate. Come to think of it, I wonder how many of his followers have adequate knowledge of energy matters to call BS, so perhaps those dis-allowed comments were for other transgressions. You don't, by any chance occasionally post to Mr. Clark's site under the screen name "TinaJuliee" ?

Finally, an additional downside to Mr. Clark's piece will be the need for many energy industry professionals to be unnecessarily burdened with having to disabuse their clients of Mr. Clark's incorrect guidance. "But I read it on the Internet!".

Allison, thanks for pointing out the emperors new clothes!

Best wishes.