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. [More]

This month, it was all about heat! Are you trying to decide whether or not to use your fireplace, space heater, or your heat at all? Our bloggers posted several articles on the hot topic of heating your home during the cold winter months:

• We learned a little history about fireplaces and some considerations and calculations to keep in mind when using one to heat your home.


• We were urged to read more before using our portable heaters as a primary source of heat for our homes, and were pointed toward a handy guide to performing a home energy assessments to help us save the heat we are using.


• We discussed the benefits of turning down our thermostats while we are away to save money. If you try this energy savings tip, be mindful not to let your pipes freeze when you turn down your heat.

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Winter. For many of us, the season means hot chocolate, winter sports, exercise indoors, and the classic American pastime—movie night. So, if you find yourself caught in a chilly day, and are in the mood for popcorn and a good flick at home, check out the following movies that have environmental or clean energy innuendoes/themes:

• Back to the Future—In parts II and III of the popular series, the DeLorean time machine was powered by the Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor. In the end of the first movie, we see Dr. Emmett Brown putting a banana peel, beer (and the can), and other waste products into the Mr. Fusion unit, and in turn, suggesting that the car's flux capacitor is run on biomass energy. Another interesting tidbit is that the cool DeLorean car that was featured in the series is actually being made in real life as an electric vehicle.

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This week, Erin shared the results of a major energy efficiency retrofit at her local library. Efficiency improvements over several years include installing 250 solar panels on the roof, upgrading to energy-efficient lighting, and others. The library has been saving over $57,000 per year in electricity costs, and expects to save even more in the future.

After discovering a renewable energy project in our blogger's own community, we're curious: What energy-saving, innovative projects have you come across in your neighborhood? [More]

Working in the communications office at the Department of Energy, I’m always researching, writing, and talking about our latest initiatives. Topics run the gamut—from student-led solar competitions to engineering breakthroughs in electric vehicle design. I’ve learned that there are so many interesting projects underway in the clean energy space.

Still, writing about an innovative, clean energy project in a state 1,000 miles away is one thing—discovering such a project in your own neighborhood is quite another.

That’s exactly what happened a couple of weeks ago when I walked into my local library. A sign, just inside the hallway announced a new construction project—250 solar panels are being installed on the library’s flat, wide roof. [More]

This year at my house, we have been on a quest to make our attic more energy efficient. I think we realized just how much this unseen area contributes to our overall comfort —not to mention what we pay to heat and cool the house.

The first thing we did was install more insulation this winter. In addition to the tax credits we'll be able to claim, there were several incentives available from our state and utility that made it a great time for us to make this improvement. Following the installation, we noticed an immediate improvement in the overall comfort of our home and the furnace seemed to kick on a lot less often. [More]