With less than 100 days remaining until all full-power analog television broadcasts are switched off across the nation, experts urge budget-minded viewers to consider an Energy Star-rated digital-to-analog converter box as the ideal way to keep their favorite channels after midnight on June 12.

According to the U.S. Commerce Department, which manages the government's digital TV coupon program, the Zenith DTT901 converter box consumes less energy in "on mode" than any other converter eligible for the $40 federal government discount coupons. The Zenith DTT901 also performs better than the guidelines of the Energy Star program, which stipulates conservative energy use in both the "on mode," when the box is in use, and in the "sleep mode," when the converter box is not in use.

Teleworking or running a home-based business can save money and help the environment by decreasing carbon emissions from commuting. ComEd recommends several tips for customers to save more money and make a bigger impact on the environment by better managing energy usage in their home offices.

Teleworking is well on its way to becoming a mainstay in today's work environment. According to the U.S. Labor Department, about 14 million workers were telecommuting part-time in 2004 and 7 million were running home-based businesses. Employed Americans working remotely at least one day a month increased by 63 percent from 2004 to 2006, according to a survey by WorldAtWork*. The Society of Human Resource Management's 2007 benefits survey showed that 56 percent of U.S. companies surveyed offered some form of telecommuting in 2007, up 5 percent from 2006.

As the winter Holidays approach, thousands of students are faced with a decorating dilemma. Many dorms ban traditional strands of Holiday lights as they use too much electricity, and also often get too hot, raising safety concerns. What’s an energy-conscious student to do who wants to bring a bit of Holiday spirit into his or her dorm room?

Enter dotstrand Energy Efficient lights to the rescue. From Evident Technologies, dotstrand holiday LED lights, use a fraction of the power of traditional holiday lights, are cool to the touch, long lasting and durable. In addition, dotstrand holiday LED lights incorporate nanotechnology, a new and high-tech application that allows the lights to produce almost any color. Energy efficient, durable and colorful, they are perfect for college dorm rooms, apartments, fraternity houses and sorority houses. These holiday lights can also be used outdoors. dotstrandTM energy efficient LED lights are available in unique colors including pink, peach, aqua, lime, plum, ice white, and pearl white.

You know to turn the lights off when not in use and switch your regular bulbs for those squiggly ones. But how much can you save? And are there still tricks you don't know about?

Save a Little

• Use your curtains. During cold months, leave them open during the day to allow sunlight in; in the summer, keep curtains shut in rooms where the sunlight hits. Monthly Savings*: 95 cents to $3.30.
• Install motion detectors on lights in kids' rooms. The lights will never be left on by accident. Monthly Savings: 36 cents per lightbulb.

Find out more money saving tips after the jump.

In a world going green: Cars, Food, Buildings, we are compelled to ask, can an Aircraft truly go green? What would it look like? Sound like? How would it fly? Spectrum Aeronautical has answered those questions with its proprietary composite technology, fibeX. Spectrum’s “Freedom” jet is set for FAA certification in 2009 and Spectrum’s “Independence” in 2010.

What started twenty five years ago as a drive to produce the lightest, fastest, most fuel-efficient, affordable aircraft, is now the greenest technology in aviation today. Due to the weight, aerodynamic characteristics, and engine fuel efficiency of Spectrum’s aircraft, the fuel needed is half of a comparable jet—truly revolutionary.

It is no secret that Chicago weather is unpredictable. One thing is certain, however -- the Windy City summers are notoriously hot. With the summer temperatures regularly soaring into the 90's -- often accompanied with unbearable humidity -- Chicagoans are always looking to beat the heat. With energy costs hovering at all time highs and a nationwide emphasis on conservation, Chicagoland's leading residential heating and air conditioning provider, Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning, announced today a list of the Top 10 tips for consumers to conserve energy and save dollars this summer without sacrificing comfort.

The HVAC experts at Four Seasons Heating and Air Conditioning located in Chicago offer the following tips for consumers to heed this summer:

Top 10 Tips for Conserving Energy and Save Cold Hard Cash in Hot Summer Months

With gas prices parked over four dollars a gallon and record breaking temperatures looming this summer, workplaces of every stripe are looking for ways to save money, stay cool, and, hopefully, remain good environmental citizens in the process.

“Fortunately, some of the best ways to reduce an office or business’s water, electric, and maintenance costs help reduce energy consumption and save money, too,” says David Murphy, Chief Executive Officer of EnerLume Energy Management, makers of an energy savings lighting device. Mr. Murphy offers the following suggestions to businesses:

• Bulbs: Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Although CFL bulbs cost more money, over the course of each bulb’s lifetime, businesses should save over $90 per bulb in energy costs.
• Heating and Air Conditioning: The best option here is for workplaces to install a high efficiency furnace and cooling system with a programmable thermostat. Set the thermostat for 68% in the winter and 78% in the summer; then program the thermostat a couple of degrees for extended times away from the workplace such as evenings and weekends.
• More after the jump.

As American consumers and businesses struggle with the myriad of light bulb choices available to achieve energy efficiency and other objectives, Lutron Electronics has created an easy-to-read website designed to answer the basic question, “What is the best light bulb for me?”

The new site compares standard-socket (E26) incandescent, screw-in compact fluorescent (CFL) and halogen bulbs. The bulbs are evaluated in a variety of categories, including efficiency, price, performance, controllability and quality of light.

One of the biggest problems with the first generation iPhone has undoubtedly been the battery life. Some users say that it lasts the whole 24 hours, while some complain that it only lasts a couple of hours before dying out. Apple tried to solve this problem by listing a couple of tips, like keeping bluetooth off, keeping wi-fi off, and keeping EQ settings off on the iPod, on their website to help maintain a steady battery life. These suggestions, however, limit the user from using all of the iPhones innovative features to the fullest.

In the latest news, Apple is rumored to be working on making a solar powered iPhone. With solar power, hybrid cars, and everything “green” being the theme of the year, the solar powered iPhone has room to be the next hot gadget-especially for those who have already gone “green” this year.

One of the reasons that solar powered phones have not worked in the past is because of added bulk the phone would get, and virtually no space to put the solar panels. This new iPhone is rumored to have the solar panels located behind the beautiful LCD touch screen. It would be nice to have a phone that ran on solar power, so the next time your phone is about to die at the park all you have to do is get in a sunny or lighted area. For now, all we can do is wait.

AT&T's U-verse IPTV is the first video service provider to commit to operating under the new ENERGY STAR program for video providers. As an ENERGY STAR participant, AT&T will provide U-verse TV customers with Motorola and Cisco Systems Inc. receivers that meet the new ENERGY STAR efficiency criteria well in advance of Jan. 1, 2009, when it goes into effect. U-verse IPTV receivers offer increased energy efficiency compared with other digital set-top boxes today. ENERGY STAR is a voluntary program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy that sets strict energy-efficiency specifications and promotes qualified products to help American consumers reduce their carbon footprint and save money.

Canadian drivers will likely burn an extra 643 million litres of fuel in 2008 because one or more of their tires are under-inflated, according to data from Natural Resources Canada, which is working with the Rubber Association of Canada, to educate motorists about proper tire care. That is enough squandered fuel to fill 257 Olympic size swimming pools.

Unless drivers take action, this wasted fuel will release an additional one million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and cost drivers an estimated $772 million in unnecessary fuel bills.

With fuel prices climbing ever higher, it is easy to see why tire maintenance is so important. A tire that is substantially under-inflated does not roll as smoothly or as easily as it was intended. This diminishes fuel efficiency because increased rolling resistance causes the vehicle to burn more fuel, which increases both emissions and fuel costs.

PC users love the visual realism that high-performance graphics processors give their PCs, but would rather do without the noise and power consumption typical of modern entertainment and gaming PCs. Starting today, however, they can have the best of both worlds, thanks to the new NVIDIA platforms based on the company's Hybrid SLI technology. These new platforms are the foundation for a new breed of PCs that deliver a richer visual experience while reducing energy consumption and costs, fan noise, and even heat. The new technology is available immediately with new NVIDIA nForce 780a SLI and GeForce 8 Series based motherboards.

The visual capabilities of typical PCs are driven by either integrated graphics on the motherboard or by higher performance, discrete graphics cards, like NVIDIA GeForce GPUs. Unfortunately, the most common integrated graphics chips lack the performance and features needed by many popular modern 3D applications, games, and movies. Discrete graphics cards deliver a far superior visual experience, but consume more energy.