Maybe I'm just not paying enough attention to the date, but this took me a little by surprise: The Solar Decathlon is already less than two weeks away! The Solar Decathlon, if you haven't heard about it, is an event put on once every two years by the U.S. Department of Energy. Essentially, 20 university teams are challenged to construct a house that is 100% powered by solar energy. In early October, the teams will set up their homes in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall, where they'll be judged in ten contests. And those homes will be judged on just about everything—they have to be well constructed, capable of powering all the household appliances you'd expect in a normal home, be marketable in the market of their choice, and far more. (Heck, they even have to be capable of putting on a good dinner party.) There's more than that, but let's get to the interesting part. Let's say that you want to learn more about what's going on during the Decathlon—and believe me, i... [More]

The National Solar Tour takes place annually during the first Saturday in October in conjunction with National Energy Awareness Month. Last year close to 140,000 attendees visited some 5,000 solar buildings in 3,000 participating communities. Find the tour nearest you. Initially, the tour began about 20 years ago when a solar retailer and installer in California organized some of its customers and got them to agree to open up their homes once a year to the general public. The owners enjoyed showing off their solar homes to the public, the public was eager to learn about solar technologies, and the solar company drummed up additional leads and sales. It was a win-win situation. The solar tour became a popular annual event and tours began springing up elsewhere. The nonprofit American Solar Energy Society (ASES) took over organizing the tour as it became a nationwide event. It's now in its 14th year under ASES. As Drew mentioned in an earlier blog, the Solar Decathlon takes place on the ... [More]

On Tuesday, John wrote about his work on the Green Transportation Rally, a community event promoting efficient vehicles. Community involvement is a great way to connect with others with others who care about saving energy. How do you encourage energy savings in your community? Speaking of community… just a reminder that Energy Savers is now on Facebook. You should become a fan. Each Thursday, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.

This year marks the seventh year that I'm organizing a Green Transportation Rally in my city's Labor Day parade. I think it's a great way to educate the public, plus it's a lot of fun. I started out organizing a group of local residents who own hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs). Each year my grandchildren and I lead the group on foot carrying a banner proclaiming "Green Transportation." I produce signs that we tape to the windows or attach to the doors and hoods with magnets. One neighbor produces her own huge cardboard sign that she attaches to the roof, proudly proclaiming that she achieves more than 50 mpg in her hybrid—averaged over nearly 100,000 miles according to her last sign. After this worked successfully for a couple of years, I also began recruiting members of the Electric Vehicle Association of Greater Washington, D.C. (EVADC) where I'm a member. Unlike me, a lot of my fellow members have converted gasoline cars to all battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). A couple member... [More]

Tomorrow is the official first day of fall, and while I always mourn the end of summer, one of the best things about fall is leaf peeping! Last year, we took my father-in-law's red '57 T-bird convertible on a lovely drive through the mountains to see the bright yellow aspens. Something about a car like that draws lots of attention—honks, waves, questions. We basically made friends everywhere we went. As much fun as that was, it wasn't exactly the most fuel-efficient or environmentally friendly excursion. I know we can do better this year; beautiful leaves are less than an hour's drive away, and our regular vehicle is much more efficient than the T-bird. We may even take our bicycles to catch some fresh air and off-the-beaten path views (I'm not one to actually bike up the mountain, though I'm in total awe of those who do). As you plan your leaf peeping, think about how you can save a little on fuel. Do you really need to drive for hours, or is there some beautiful foliage right i... [More]

Energy Savers is on Facebook! We created a Facebook page to connect with consumers in the place where over 300 million users like to hang out online. With numbers like that, you're probably there, too, and we hope you'll become a fan. You'll now be able to read the blog directly from Facebook (don't worry, we'll still have RSS and be in our regular location, if you prefer that) and we'll try to post other items of interest to consumers who want to save energy. But what else would you like to see? Tips? Discussion forums? Something else? How should Energy Savers use Facebook? Please tell us in the comments. And don't forget to become a fan! Each Thursday, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.