Alan Meier

Editorial: Milk, Melons, and Smaller Refrigerators

Author: Alan Meier

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January 01, 2006

        One seemingly irreversible trend in American homes is the growing refrigerator. This is particularly puzzling because the average household size is shrinking. What do people put in there? We ... [continue reading]

Editorial: The Next Big Thing

Author: Alan Meier

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March 02, 2006

        I am sometimes asked what I believe will be the next new use of energy or the next big efficiency measure. I made a couple of lucky calls in ... [continue reading]

Cooking with Less Gas

Author: Alan Meier and Jennifer Mitchell-Jackson

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May 01, 2001

Microwave ovens, when they're on, stack up well against traditional ovens. [continue reading]

Standby for Set-Top Boxes

Author: Alan Meier

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November 01, 2001

        Set-top boxes have the highest standby power consumption found in home appliances. Thanks to the upcoming change to digital TV formats,many consumers will be forced to either purchase ... [continue reading]

Editorial: That 3,000-Lb Gorilla in the Garage

Author: Alan Meier

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September 11, 2006

        With high gasoline prices, one’s attention naturally turns to that thirsty, 3,000-lb gorilla in the garage: the car. But how does gasoline consumption compare to the energy ... [continue reading]

Editorial: Surprising Turnabout at Energy Star

Author: Alan Meier

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March 10, 2007

For the first time, Energy Star is decertifying an entire category of product—the programmable thermostat—because it doesn’t reliably save energy (see “Energy Star Changes Approach to Programmable Thermostats,&... [continue reading]

Editorial: My House of the Future?

Author: Alan Meier

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May 06, 2007

Nothing frightens me more than those model “homes of the future.” I recently visited one of them—the “ConnectedLife” home—at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. ... [continue reading]

Editorial: Getting the Price Right

Author: Alan Meier

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July 01, 2007

Some people claim that most of our inefficient use of energy will disappear once we “get the price right”— that is, that the price reflects the true costs of supplying that energy.&... [continue reading]