We felt the Consumer Reports deserves a page of its own on the ClimateCorps website.  This non-profit organization has been providing for decades unbiased information and recommendations on a host of consumer related issues and products.  They are famous for their policy of NOT accepting ANY advertising in either their print magazine or online website, accessible at ConsumerReports.org.

If any agency exists for the furtherance of quality and durability in consumer goods, this is it.  Since it is our position at the ClimateCorps that planned obsolescence and poor quality are the direct result of our obsession with low price as the predominant criteria on purchase decisions, Consumer Reports adds a level of ‘critical thinking’ that is otherwise generally lacking in our education and marketplace.

And in particular, we’d like to direct you to the Energy Saving Guide online at the Consumer Reports website.  This Energy Saving Guide also appears in the October 2007 print version of the magazine.

When thinking of purchasing anything from a cell phone to a car, it is wise to consult Consumer Reports first.  They perform testing of alternative brands and models and provide a simple, no-nonsense means of comparison both in aggregate (their Best Buy, Recommended, and Not Recommended scale) and in detail, where features and categories vary with the item.

Most libraries stock a subscription to the magazine which is usually available in the reference section, as well as the annually issued compendiums of products reviewed over the past year.  The online version contains all of the above, plus additional features.  Some of the online material is accessible for free; some requires an inexpensive annual or ‘one time’ fee.  These fees are what keeps this valuable aid to consumers alive, and we believe they are modest for the value received.