Home Security & Energy

Home Security & Energy guides

Alarms, smart home tech, solar and energy use.

Home Security & Energy

How each type responds to an alarm, what it costs to run and the questions to ask before choosing.

Home Security & Energy

How smart thermostats work, how much energy they can save, and what to check for compatibility before you buy.

Home Security & Energy

Easy steps with lighting, locks and daily habits that make a home a harder target.

Home Security & Energy

Solar panels keep working when it's cloudy or cold. Here's how much output changes, and why snow matters most.

Home Security & Energy

How a home solar system works, what affects cost and payback, how net metering works and what changed with federal tax credits.

More guides

Money

A balance transfer can cut the interest you pay on card debt, but only if the numbers work for you. Here's how to check.

Home Improvement

What the labels mean, how frame materials compare and the questions to ask before you get quotes.

Handyman & Repairs

What a handyman can and can't do, how pricing works and the questions that help you avoid problems.

How-To

Most running toilets come down to three parts inside the tank. Here's how to find the problem and fix it.

Smart Shopping

Refurbished phones, laptops and tablets can cost less than new. Here's how to tell a good deal from a risky one.

Scholarships & College

Where scholarships come from, how to build an application you can reuse and how to avoid scholarship scams.