While some appliances have slimmed down, others still overindulge. Here’s the truth about the current coursing through your home’s devices
By Sharon Jayson
Chris and Michelle Birnbaum live about 6 miles outside Giddings in Lee County with two adult children in the 2,000-square-foot “barndominium” home they built in 2015. The metal barn-style buildings are known for open floor plans, affordable construction costs and energy efficiency.
Program prepares apprentice lineworkers to keep 13,000 miles of line and 144,000 meters safe and reliable
By Connie Juarez
During the last several years, Gunnar Schwartz learned that a lineworker’s job involves more than putting up poles and stringing wire.
Save electricity and money in cold weather with a few simple suggestions
Cold weather happens, even if it was 80 degrees yesterday. Save electricity and save money with a few simple suggestions from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.
LOWER YOUR WATER HEATER TEMPERATURE
The U.S. Department of Energy recommends using the warm setting (120 degrees) on your water heater during the winter months. Plus, consider washing clothes in cold water.
From fridges that know what's inside to phone apps to control them, smart tech and AI are coming to home appliances
How smart are the newest appliances? If you can master their technology, they could be brilliant.
On the market — or coming soon — are refrigerators that know what’s inside and can tell you what food has expired, create a grocery list and suggest a recipe for dinner.
There are washing machines that can detect everything from fabric type to water hardness to the dirtiness of your clothes, then select the correct wash cycle.
What’s the right way to load a dishwasher? When is the thermostat set too high? Household appliances make life easier — and spark plenty of debate. Here’s what experts say about some of the most common appliance disagreements
THE THERMOSTAT BATTLE
“It’s too hot. I’m burning up!” “It’s freezing in here. I can’t stand it!”
Expert opinions: Someone isn’t going to like these answers — at least at first.
Bluebonnet awards $64,000 to area fire departments
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative’s Board of Directors unanimously approved $1,000 grants to 64 fire departments serving communities across the cooperative’s 14-county service area. The grants were approved earlier this year and awarded in October and November.
From sheriff’s officers to firefighters, dispatchers to emergency medical workers, these are on the front lines in their communities
By Kirsten Tyler and Connie Juarez • Photos by Sarah Beal
They are the calm voices answering the 911 calls, the drivers with flashing lights that puncture the darkness and the steady hands of those who arrive to help in a crisis.
