A segment of the public anticipates prolonged power outages. But in taking steps to prepare our homes for natural disasters, could we be making them less safe?

New York State's Green Buildings Program uses utility ratepayer and federal funds to make buildings  environmentally responsible, economically viable, and healthy places in which to work. Founder Craig Kneeland tells the story of how it began.

Some utilities have successfully adopted market segmentation approaches. Developing a segmentation model is expensive, but a number of online resources could provide enough insight to improve program recruitment.

Alex Krzesinski, Marketing Executive at Yorkshire Energy Services, describes the new United Kingdom residential program called Green Deal.

How can you correct excessive energy use in a building that houses museum exhibition spaces, classrooms, storage spaces for valuable artifacts, a library, and conservation laboratories?

In DC electricty, the current of electrons flows in one direction, from - to +.  AC is a bit more complicated: the current flows in both directions, alternately reversing direction at regular intervals.

You would have very little patience if your electronics unexpectedly shut off and on. We have come to expect a certain level of stable and continuous electrical power quality.

Even though the walls of an apartment look solid, air buoyancy and pressure differences between interior spaces cause air to move between rooms and even to other units in the building. We've created animations showing how these interior air driving forces affect the migration of secondhand smoke within a multifamily apartment building.

Utilities need to have enough power plants to meet peak demand at the time it is called for, or they risk causing a blackout. All utilities have a mix of electricity sources, including coal, natural gas, and nuclear power. They decide which power plants to run based on a number of factors, including cost, environmental regulations, and location.