Saving Energy Is a Lifestyle, Not a Diet

This blog has been aimed at helping you save energy. We've offered ideas on ways to fit your home for the winter months, including checklists of tasks from the easy to the not-as-easy, and we've shown how saving energy saves you money. Some of the posts here are practical advice, while others are about the why behind this whole effort.

So why are we doing this?

There are a few reasons:

1. It's something you need to know. We at the Department of Energy have a responsibility to teach the public about energy; we can't expect people to make good, informed choices about being energy efficient if we haven't spelled out why this is important. If you understand why your choices matter, you'll be encouraged to make good choices.
2. Technology needs public support. Things like solar panels for homes, wind farms and more fuel-efficient vehicles (including hybrids) need a market. Markets don't just happen—they need to be developed, by helping the buyers understand the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy.
3. It sounds like hard work but it's just a series of steps. Much like trying to lose weight, getting your home and family to be energy efficient is about adjusting your lifestyle. Getting used to turning off lights and lowering the thermostat isn't glamorous or exciting, but small changes add up—and getting into the habit of being energy efficient is more than half the battle.
4. You can do it. That's the most important thing.

And that's really what it's about. Huge changes happen from lots and lots of small changes being made. So make that change. You'll see that you don't have to go on an energy "diet;" you just have to adjust your lifestyle a little here and there. You'll be glad you did.

Drew Bittner is a former Presidential Management Intern (PMI) and the web content manager for EERE's corporate web pages.

Resource: Energy Savers Blog

Stop Paying for Energy You Aren't Using

Back in October, we heard a lot about "energy vampires." A very convenient holiday metaphor, to be sure, but you're probably not in the Halloween spirit in January. Nonetheless, you may be in the mood to reduce your energy costs, and standby power is something worth considering all year round.

Standby power is the minimum power used when a product is plugged in. That doesn't necessarily mean the product is "on" or "attached to your cell phone"—yup, just plugged in. Obviously, a lot of products need to stay plugged in even when you're not using them; you wouldn't, for instance, unplug your digital clock when you leave the room and plug it back in and reset it each time you re-enter.

But how many items do you leave plugged in that don't need to be? Almost all of them are using electricity—and you're paying for it. How about those chargers for your cell phone, mobile device, or mp3 player? What about your DVD player, stereo, or video game system? And think about your office--computer, monitor, printer, scanner, and computer speakers... the list goes on. And if your house is anything like mine, you may have two or more of each of these items!

Any one of these may not draw much power on its own (see the chart from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to see just how much standby power many of them draw), but a typical American home has roughly 40 of these products that are constantly plugged in and constantly drawing power. That can add up to 10% of your total electricity use.

You may not be able to cut all of your standby power (nor would you want to), but there are things you can do to reduce your use:

• Unplug all small chargers when they aren't in use
• Use a power strip to turn off groups of products all at once (for example, all of your computer equipment)
• Unplug all products you rarely use.

Check out the Tips to Cut Standby Power from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to learn more about identifying products that use standby power and reducing your stand-by energy use.

Allison Casey is a senior communicator at DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which assists EERE in providing technical content for many of its Web sites.

Source: Energy Savers Blog

An Energy Saving Solution For Businesses

Energy-saving solutions are available for businesses to help reduce the cost of electric each month. One solution is the Power Save 3200/3400, designed specifically for businesses since they experience a high amount of energy consumption on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis. Of course some businesses use more than others but all can reap the savings.

Here are a few details about the Power Save 3200/3400:
Lowers electric bills up to 25%, in some cases more!
Reduces electricity required by inductive loads(motors)!
Enhances capacity of existing electrical system!
Eliminates harmful power surges!
Protects appliances and sensitive electronic equipment!
Reduces harmful effects caused by electrical noise!
Power Factor Optimization!

What type of businesses can benefit?
Any business with an electric bill!
Some great examples: Restaurants, Government Facilities, Schools, Real Estate Investors, Grocery Stores, Bowling Allies- these are just a few of the thousands of businesses across the US who are taking advantage of the products available to help reduce expenses. It's worth checking into because the savings could be thousands of dollars each year!

If you own a business or know someone who does, more details can be found here.

How to Reduce the Shock of a High Electric Bill

How to Reduce the Shock of a High Electric Bill
The dreaded electric bill has just arrived! You can feel the sweat start to roll off your forehead as you begin to open it. This time you are in for a pleasant surprise! Your bill is $30-50 lower than the previous month!
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/374254/how_to_reduce_the_shock_of_a_high_electric.html