WhiteFence Provider Highlight: AT&T;

Recently, we started a new series of articles on this blog that highlight different providers on our site, to help you find out more information that you might not have known before. As consumers, it's always in our best interest to be more informed about our choices because you never know, you might come across something that tips the scales.

For the newest edition of our provider highlights, we're going to be focusing on AT&T.; Here are some cool features you may or may not know about the communications provider, particularly its U-verse offerings.

• U-verse remote DVR access - While many people may have heard of U-verse, AT&T;'s great TV service, they may not know about the way you can interface with the DVR in places other than the home. Not only can you look at your DVR selections through your Web browser, you can also view it on the go with your iPhone. Anybody else that is a TV nut knows the pain of being out and suddenly realizing that a favorite show is about to come on. With the U-verse app, you no longer have that worry.


• Total Home DVR - The great thing about this feature is that it allows you to watch a DVR recording from any other connected TV in your home. That way, different people in your household can all watch what they want, when they want. Hopefully it doesn't end up in an old west showdown.


• NFL Redzone - What's better than going to a sports bar to see all the football games you want at once? Being able to do it from your own home. NFL Redzone is a great channel for football fans, because it lets you see the best parts of any game as it's happening. The channel switches between games that are in their most exciting field positions, so you can see the touchdowns as they happen. I'm going to be honest, I kind of fell in love with this one during the season.

These promotions are running as of the date of this blog, but could be removed at any time. To find out more about AT&T; in your area, be sure to visit WhiteFence. More provider highlights are coming in the future. If you've got any you would like to know more about, let us know!

Conserving Water with Faucet Aerators

One of the things that I might be the worst in the world at is saving water. I am pretty conscious of how I deal with trash and recycling, and even more so when it comes to trying to save energy with electricity. But for some reason, I turn into a complete imbecile when in contact with running water. I'm the classic case of "guy who leaves water running while brushing teeth" and "guy who browses the Internet while the shower is warming up". OK, that second one isn't actually a typical person, but that's how I roll.

If you're looking for a way to cut water usage by as much as 50%, a cheap and easy way to do so is through the use of faucet or shower aerators. An aerator adds air to the water flow from these devices, rather than just using a full stream. This cuts down drastically on your water use, and can even save you money on your monthly bill.

To tell if you need one, you should check your faucet. The aerator is located on the tip of the faucet, and can be unscrewed easily. The flow of the water should be written on the side. If it is labeled as 2.2 gallons per minute or more, you might want to consider pulling a switch. If you need some help with how to go about doing this, the guys at Microsoft Hohm have released another entry in their video series with a helpful guide. Check it out!

Have any of you tried switching aerators to save money? Tell us in the comments!

Additional Source- Titusville

Money Saving Stories

We’re a few years into this whole ‘global recession’ thing, and just about everyone I know still seems to be feeling the pinch. With that in mind, I thought maybe we could all help each other out by sharing some stories and tips about saving money. I’ll get us started.

My wife and have been doing all the small things like switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs and keeping our thermostat a few degrees higher in the summer and lower in the winter for a while now. While we knew these things were saving us money, they didn’t really have an obvious effect on our monthly expenses. They lacked the payoff of seeing more money in our pockets. However, when it came time to renew our television, Internet and home phone plans we decided to see if anyone was bundling in our area yet (they weren’t when we initially signed up) and found what we were looking for.

AT&T; had started to offer their U-verse bundles in our neighborhood and we made the switch. We not only ended up saving about $35 a month, but we actually came out with more channels, unlimited calling and faster Internet! While it might not be a huge sum of money, I really can see the effect of an extra $35 each month, and the upgraded services are just an awesome bonus.

So what have you done that saved you a lot of money recently? Let us know in the comments!

WhiteFence Provider Highlight: TXU Energy

As consumers, the best thing we can do to help ourselves save money at home is to be informed. By knowing more about the utilities or services we can order and who is providing them to us, we can make better choices that add up to long term savings. That's why we've decided to start highlighting our providers more regularly, to bring you cool facts or interesting things you might not have known about them before.

Since we're edging closer to Summer, we're about to hit that time of year where electricity rates start climbing again. I know that for me, my recent low rate contract expired, so I'm currently on the lookout for a new electricity provider. I thought it would be fitting that for our first provider highlight, we took a look at one of the great electricity options you can find through WhiteFence.

This week's provider highlight? TXU Energy! If you are a Texas resident on the hunt for electricity, then you have no doubt heard of TXU Energy. Here are some features that might have gone overlooked in your most recent search for great electricity rates...

• TXU Energy iThermostat - This Web-enabled tool allows you to manage your air conditioner while you are not at home. Since the AC unit is typically the biggest energy hog in the entire house, this can really help you keep the costs of cooling your home much more affordable. The best part of all is that you can access this tool online and adjust it when you are at work or even on the road.


• TXU Energy Resident's Choice^SM - A current TXU Energy special, this plan is an online-only deal with auto recurring payment, making your monthly billing easier and stress-free.

In addition to these two bonuses that TXU Energy offers, you can get up to a $50 prepaid card when you order. Stay tuned, because more provider highlights will be coming in the near future.

Time Warner Cable Brings out the Wideband Internet

I remember that before I went to college, I had no idea that high-speed Internet was even a thing that existed. For me, dial-up was just fine (if kind of slow) and the Internet was where I went to check e-mail occasionally. However, once my friends and I ended up in college, downloading music and playing video games together online became a very regular thing. These days, I feel like I take for granted just how fast everything I want online can be at my fingertips.

The thing is, that doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon, especially given Time Warner Cable's recent announcement of Wideband Internet. Wideband Internet is their new high-speed plan which uses DOCSIS 3.0 technology to provide incredibly fast Internet. While it is currently only available in NYC, the 50 Mbps download speed and 5 Mbps upload speed are certainly something to keep in mind for the future of high-speed. It almost seems comically fast. What can one man do with so many megabytes? I'm now imagining the Enterprise, with Scotty shouting that he's giving the Internet connection "all she's got, Captain".

The thought of using speeds like that to do multiple bandwidth-hogging activities (playing games, streaming video, etc) makes a geek like me excited for the possibilities. It's hard to believe that something like that could be available at my home some day. And if you're in New York, then you're already in luck.

To read more about Time Warner Cable's Wideband Internet technology, visit Time Warner Cable.

Decoding Bundled Services

I have always been a big fan of puzzles. Not the lame kind where you put together a picture of a fruit basket at your Aunt Betty's house because she doesn't have a color TV, but the kind of brain teasers that get you thinking or guessing. Except for Rubik's Cubes. I have always been bad at those, probably because I am not a super smart Rubik's Cube solving robot. But can't a man dream?

Even though many of us enjoy giving our minds a work out, I'm sure that like me, you don't appreciate it when ordering home services feels like a brain teaser. Knowing what you want and what you can afford isn't exactly easy to figure out, given the myriad of options available. What makes this even harder is that providers are often promoting bundles of high-speed Internet, TV or phone for one monthly price, but it's not always apparent if this is a good deal or not. Many providers advertise bundles as a way of saving money on your bills, but is that how it often works?

Fortunately, the answer is "yes".

WhiteFence 101: Did You Know?

Have you ever heard of the elevator pitch? Wikipedia defines the elevator pitch as "an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch should be possible to deliver in the time span of an elevator ride, meaning in a maximum of 30 seconds and in 130 words or fewer."

Recently, I've found myself giving elevator pitches about WhiteFence, particularly at South By Southwest, where tons of people are curious about who you work for and what you do. I think if I was giving a quick run-down of what WhiteFence is and what it offers, I would say that it is a free service that allows movers or shoppers to find and order the best deals on their home services or utilities.

In reality, there's a lot more to the WhiteFence experience than what can be summed up in 130 words or less. In the spirit of those old school The More You Know segments, here are some interesting "did you know" facts about WhiteFence.

6 Ways to Take a Green Spring Break

For many students and parents around the country, this week (or next, depending on where you live) is that lovely part of the year known as Spring Break. It's the time when people pack themselves in mini-vans or airplanes and go crash on beaches far and wide, all in anticipation of summer, which lies just around the corner. Or if you're a teacher like my wife, sleeping in and hanging out with friends. Either way, sign me up for one of those next year!

While Spring Break and vacations in general are often highlights of the year for those of us who need a reprieve from the real world, traveling can be an activity that turns ridiculously wasteful in terms of the environment. From the way we recycle, eat and relax, there are plenty of ways to make our down time more eco-friendly. Here are 6 ways to be green on Spring Break.

What to Watch for When Choosing a TV Plan

I've said it before, and I'll continue to say it as long as I'm alive or before I'm cryogenically frozen for the future — TV is great. When I say TV, I mean both the actual physical box and the service that it provides. I'm sure there is a very official definition of it somewhere, but I can't be bothered by the ten seconds it takes to Google things when I am in a writing frenzy. Instead, I'll come up with my own definition. Ahem...

TV - noun. A box from which magical visual goodness flows, illuminating all in its bright and bathing glow.

I didn't mean for that to rhyme, but it's all good. Anyway, I spend a great deal of time (more than I'd care to admit) watching TV, and for TV watchers like me, it's important to consider the right kind of service when choosing what to have in your home. Here are some things to consider when choosing a TV plan.

Win a Sony HDTV at the WhiteFence and TheSportsGeeks Twitter Tailgate!

It’s that time of year again, when offices across the country start buzzing with wild predictions, grown men spend their lunch money on elaborate brackets and productivity falls through the floor. It’s March Madness! In honor of the big tournament getting underway, WhiteFence is joining forces with The Sports Geeks to co-host a Twitter tailgate and giveaway.

“How does it work?” I can hear you asking. It’s simple! Today, from 4:00pm to 5:00pm EST, The Sports Geeks will be asking questions about the tournament and WhiteFence on Twitter. If you answer select questions correctly and include the hashtag #WFMadness to your tweet, you could win some sweet prizes.

“Exactly how sweet are these prizes?” Pretty sweet, that’s how sweet. We’ll be giving away a $100 Best Buy gift card every ten minutes and one lucky participant will be walking home with 40" Sony HDTV*. Okay, so they won’t actually be walking home with it since this is a virtual tailgate, but you get the picture.

It’s going to be awesome and we hope to see you and all of your friends participating (even Craig from accounting). Here are the details:

Date: Wednesday, March 17^th

Time: 4:00-5:00pm EST/1:00-2:00pm PST

Hosts: The Sports Geeks & WhiteFence

Hashtag: #WFMadness

*Winner will be furnished with a Best Buy gift card equal to the value of Sony KDL40EX400 40" BRAVIA 1800p HDTV, valued at $700.