Connecticut Green Living

In keeping with the spirit of National Energy Awareness Month, WalletHub has released its annual state rankings for home energy and auto efficiency, excluding Hawaii and Alaska. Top spots went to Massachussetts, New York and Rhode Island; the bottom rungs belong to West Virginia (46), Alabama (47) and South Carolina (48). No doubt, Hawaii would have enjoyed a spot very near the top, as it consistently ranks very highly for energy efficiency and overall environmental responsibility. Connecticut only ranked 15th for home energy efficiency, but can be very proud of its position in vehicle efficiency. Take a drive down the Post Road in Milford and you will be struck by the number of EV charging stations in front of the Post Mall. Similar 'burbs are seeing such an influx. Driving a Tesla or Toyota Highlander is no longer the purview of the "tree hugging" elite or mocked, but a sign of civic and environmental responsibility. I sent WalletHub 's analyst Jill Gonzalez a...

HARTFORD-APRIL 22, 2022: Last year there was enough solar power produced by Hartford's converted 4,000-acre closed landfill to power a thousand phones at full capacity. If you want to get geeky, it equated to 1 megawatt of electricity. This is one of many reasons that the city has ranked #18 per capita nationwide in a new report , Shining Cities 2022: The Top U.S. Cities for Solar Energy , when it comes to solar adoption. This is divided between both business and residential users. Johanna Neumann , senior director for renewable energy with Environment America, explained the methodology in their rankings. While Hartford is #18 for per capita solar use, it does not rank in the top 20 for overall solar output, an award that goes to Los Angeles. There is value, she explains, in both measurements. "So there are a lot of ways to slice and dice. How much solar per capita and overall [solar use]." She adds that it's equally important to look at small cities that are do...