As you may have read on the blog over the past few weeks, the Stay Cool, Save Money site offers no-cost and low-cost tips for saving energy during the warm summer months, as well as ideas for long-term investments to help you save year round. Whether you rely on an air conditioner, strategically opened windows (and closed shades), fans, regular dips in the pool, or some other strategy entirely, tell us: How do you stay cool and comfortable in hot weather? Each Thursday, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a topic related to energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

This week marks the start of a new feature at the Energy Savers Blog that we're calling Ener-Gee Whiz. Ener-Gee Whiz posts will provide information on hot energy efficiency and renewables topics in the news or answer energy-related questions posed by Energy Savers blog readers. To get this first post started, I've provided answers to a few questions that consumers have asked of the staff here at the EERE Information Center in recent weeks: Question: I'm interested in installing a small wind or solar electric system at my home. How do I get started? Answer: There are a number of first steps you might consider if you're planning to install a residential solar or wind system. First, consider the solar or wind resource available on your site and whether it is sufficient to produce enough electricity to meet your needs. Next, you may want to investigate whether the system you are considering would qualify for federal or state tax incentives and investigate any eligibility requirements neces... [More]

We're getting closer to the official start of summer and the weather is heating up. While many people are very happy about this (skiers and snowboarders notwithstanding), summer presents its own energy and comfort challenges. What are your greatest energy concerns for summer? Each Thursday, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a topic related to energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

While it doesn't fit quite perfectly into the little niche of "energy-saving things you can do at home," I found myself thinking while I stared at EERE's new Multimedia Site this week. I started thinking about how there were a lot of really simple, really cute files here that explained how renewable energy and energy efficient technologies worked, and all in a way that anyone could understand. And I thought, well, wouldn't this be helpful to show around? So I guess my post this week will be educational. If nothing else, the Multimedia site has some fun stuff that you can click around and play with, and what more can you ask for from a Web site? EERE's Multimedia Web site has animations, photograph libraries, videos, and audio files. Some of the content is Program or research-specific, and some of it's a bit technical, but for most people, I think the animations might be interesting. A lot of them do a great job of explaining basic renewable information, including animations about how g... [More]

It's Bike-to-Work Week! May is National Bike Month, and this week, May 11-15, you are encouraged to bike to work. Biking is great exercise, saves gas and car maintenance costs, and is good for the environment. Did you know: One 20-mile round trip bike ride per week saves 1020 lbs of CO2 emissions per year One 20-mile round trip bike ride per week saves $407 per year in fuel and depreciation costs If one out of 10 car commuters would switch to walking or biking, we’d reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25.4 million tons a year For those of us suffering from "shiny object syndrome," biking gives us a reason to buy more shiny objects at a fraction of the cost of many other shiny objects A good commuting bike can be had for less than $300. The same can’t be said for a good commuting car. Biking allows you to wear weird clothes and still be fashionable. Are you biking to work this week? Why or why not? Each Thursday, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a topic r... [More]

After a few late snowstorms here in Colorado, I am more than ready to turn off the heat and enjoy some warm spring weather. We haven't had any heat waves here yet, but many of you have already been trying to stay cool; our friends in Washington, D.C. were sweltering (by comparison) in 90+°F weather just a couple short weeks ago! Whether you're still anticipating snow or have broken out the sandals and tank tops, you may be starting to think about keeping your summer cooling costs down. One easy way to keep cool while saving money is using a ceiling fan. Did you know that a ceiling fan could allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 4°F without affecting your comfort? Fans work by creating a wind-chill effect on your skin so you feel cooler. Raising the temperature and using a fan can help you use less energy running your air conditioner; you may even be able to avoid using your air conditioner altogether. Follow these tips when installing and using a ceiling fan: Purchas... [More]