Savings tips
Hitting a Home Run for Clean Energy March 12, 2012 11:39 Spring. With gentle breezes, blooming flowers, and warm sunshine, the season marks the beginning of fun outdoor activities—picnics, camping, hikes, and the classic American pastime—baseball. In the past five years, major league baseball teams have increasingly made strides in greening up their stadiums. Here [...]
Today, the Energy Department is launching the next phase of the Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize (L Prize), a competition that pushes for accelerated innovation and drives industry to create more energy-saving lighting options. And with more high-performance, high-efficiency lighting options set to appear on store shelves — it’s time to change the way we shop for light. Think about [...]
So, what does the little indicator light on your cell phone, a street light, an exit sign, and the common household light bulb have in common? If your answer is that light emitting diode (LED) technology can power all these things, then you’re pretty bright. LEDs are a form of solid state lighting. Once thenew kid [...]
February 16, 2012 As part of the Administration’s support for innovations in American manufacturing, the Energy Department today highlighted a recent breakthrough in residential window manufacturing that cuts down production time, while creating better-insulating, highly energy-efficient windows. This innovative manufacturing design was partially funded by DOE and developed by GED Integrated Solutions, Inc. (GED), a [...]
Saving energy around the home is a pretty lonely task, so why not make a game of it? That’s the idea behind Simple Energy’s software that combines home energy technology and “game mechanics” in a way that’s gotten some San Diego Gas & Electric customers to cut their power bills in half — at least, [...]
With 2011 drawing to a close, now is a good time to take stock of energy efficiency accomplishments over the past year. On the plus side, many energy efficiency investments were made this year. While exact figures are not available yet, utility-sector spending on energy efficiency programs is likely to be more than $6 billion [...]
On-bill financing, an innovative tool that allows customers to pay for energy efficiency investments though their utility bills, is becoming more widely available across the country and extending opportunities to historically underserved markets, according to a new study released today. The study, On-Bill Financing for Energy Efficiency Improvements: A Review of Current Program Challenges, Opportunities, [...]
It’s hard to believe after survivng the epic summer of 2011, but winter is here. Today saw the first hard freeze of the winter season in Central Texas, where the ground becomes frozen solid and plants die. And folks in Houston (freezing) and Dallas (also freezing) didn’t have it any easier this morning. While you may have [...]
Feel a draft around your home’s electrical outlets? If so, you’re wasting energy. Even if you cannot feel air moving, you still could have a leak. Here’s another way to check: Hold a feather or piece of lightweight string in front of outlets, switch plates, window frames, baseboards, fireplace dampers, kitchen or medicine cabinets or the attic [...]
On Wednesday, November 16th, Dr. Kathleen Hogan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, discussed industrial energy efficiency on an Energy Matters video livechat. Dr. Hogan answered questions, submitted by industry professionals and the interested public via email, Facebook and Twitter, on how commercial building efficiency, advanced manufacturing, and corporate partnerships can increase American competitiveness. The manufacturing [...]