Rates

Xcel Energy-Colorado expects its rates to stay relatively flat in the second quarter of 2024, with a slight rise in electric rates and a small drop in natural gas bills. The utility said in a statement that based on natural gas costs, the typical residential customer could see a 4.17% decline, or $1.73, in the monthly bill. Rates for small commercial customers are expected to drop 4.82%, or $9.19, a month. Xcel said residential electric bills will likely increase on average 1.67%, or $1.49, a month and bills for small…

Manufacturing a car involves choreographing hundreds of parts, most of which are created somewhere else, to be at the same spot at the same time for final assembly. Given the widespread adoption of "just in time" manufacturing methodology, it's understandable that with personnel issues affecting all manufacturing during the pandemic, and the resultant cascading supply chain issues, it would take some time for things to return to normal.As you can see from the chart below, they haven't returned to normal, and almost…

The First Street Foundation study points out that insurers could offer discounts to homeowners who take steps to fortify their homes, which would help make disasters less damaging. Moore said Florida once was a leader when it came to measures like building codes, although that has changed in recent years. The state also had lacked a disclosure policy requiring property owners to share a property’s flood history with buyers and renters.Another bill would compel landlords to inform tenants that they live in a flood zone,…

Kyle Shirley put off a marketing plan for his roofing company after insurance premiums for his work trucks shot up 55%. Becky Brinkerhoff’s insurance bill has doubled and she is checking with other companies for a better deal. Stephanie Rankin will likely reduce the coverage on one of her vehicles to help cover the 44% increase in her insurance rates. The three Denver-area residents are among Coloradans reeling from rising auto insurance costs on top of higher grocery bills and other expenses. The insurance rates are…

It appears Helldivers 2 developer Arrowhead Games is preparing even more nerfs, but not for your favorite weapons — this time. No, according to a post on Discord, the Helldivers 2 team is planning to reduce the spawn rate and health pools of heavy enemies like the infamous Charger soon. The news recently came out of the official Helldivers 2 Discord channel. According to the community manager, who goes by Spitz on the channel, Arrowhead has listened to “concerns over the last few days regarding enemy spawns, enemy armor,…

Hydropower is one of the world’s largest sources of renewable electricity.But last year, weather conditions caused hydropower to fall short in a major way, with generation dropping by a record amount. In fact, the decrease was significant enough to have a measurable effect on global emissions.  Total energy-related emissions rose by just over 1% in 2023, and a shortfall of hydroelectric power accounts for 40% of that rise, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency. Between year-to-year weather…

Extreme Weather Events Raise Death Rates for WeeksEmergency room visits and deaths can be heightened for weeks after a major extreme weather event, according to a new studyBy Ariel Wittenberg & E&E NewsEvacuation from Bellevue Hospital October 31, 2012 in New York City. The hospital had been operating on backup generators since losing power during Hurricane Sandy but had to be evacuated once the extent of the damage became clear. Credit: Allison Joyce/Getty ImagesCLIMATEWIRE | Emergency room visits and deaths can…

The biggest tragedy of pet ownership is that they just don’t live long enough. Thankfully scientists are working on that, with a new cancer vaccine for dogs that almost doubles their survival rates in the face of certain types of the disease.Just like in humans, cancer is pretty common in dogs, especially larger and older ones. But while humans have a growing arsenal of weapons at their disposal, there aren’t many options for canine cancer sufferers. Radiation and chemotherapy are common, but their mixed effectiveness, as…

Ever since the launch of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple has differentiated its best iPhone displays from the non-Pro models in a couple of key ways. Support for an always-on display and a 120Hz ProMotion variable refresh rate give Apple's two high-end iPhones features that the standard models can't match and the lineups continued to be separated in that way through 2023's iPhone 15 launch as well. But a new report suggests that changes are afoot — although they won't come in time for this year's iPhone 16…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain One in three police homicides could have been avoided without endangering police or the public, according to a study published in PNAS Nexus. Eight percent of all homicides of adult men in the United States are committed by police. Using data from 2008–2017 from the National Officer-Involved Homicide Database, Josh Leung-Gagné compared…