Enterprise For Education - Electricity Is In The News

Electricity Is In The News - Online Research Links

Welcome to the Electricity Is In The News! online research center. Below are some links that will help you to learn more about energy efficiency in your home and community. Some links will be better for you than others, so make sure to pick your sources of information carefully.

Good luck! Go get your story!

Heating and Cooling

Check out some of these links. How can people use less energy to keep their homes warm (or cool)?

Hot Water

Check out some of these links. How can people use less energy to heat water?

Light

Check out some of these links. How can people use less electricity for lighting?

Other

This fast-growing category includes energy uses from cooking to computing.

General

Phantom Load

Cooking

Dishwashers

Computers

Aquariums

This page is provided as a service by the utility or government agency that provided your Electricity Is In the News booklet. It was created and is maintained by Enterprise for Education Inc.

You can reach us by email to service@entfored.com.

General

Compact fluorescent lamps

Torchieres

New Technologies

General

Using Hot Water

Buying a Water Heater

Manufacturer's Web Sites

Clothes Washers

Buying and using an air conditioner

Heating and Cooling

Check out some of these links. How can people use less energy to keep their homes warm (or cool)?

Insulation

Radiant barriers

Ducts

Windows

Infiltration

Buying a furnace

Using a furnace

Heat Pumps

Cooling

Whole house fan

Buying and using an air conditioner

Good place to begin:

Introduction To Insulation

www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_01.html

How Does Insulation Work for You?

www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_02.html

More Serious Information:

Does Your Home Need More Insulation?

www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_04.html

Determining the R-value You Need for an Existing House

www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_05.html

(Tells how to determine how much insulationa home already has.)

R-Value Recommendations

www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_16.html

(This page contains a online calculator that will estimate the insulation you need from your ZIP code, the type of fuel you use for heating, and the age of your home.)

What Kind of Insulation Should You Buy?

www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_08.html

(A 2-page fact sheet.)

Other Places in Your Home for Added Insulation

www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_08.html

Good place to begin:

Introduction

www.ornl.gov/roof+walls/radiant/index.html

(Radiant barriers are useful in attics in very warm climates, like Florida's.)

Good place to begin: (Nothing

Introduction

www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_01.html

Good place to begin: (Nothing

Windows Introduction

www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_01.html

Cold-Climate and Warm-Climate Window Tips

www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/windows.html

Energy-Efficient Windows

www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/windows_doors_skylights/index.cfm/mytopic=13310

Solar Heat Gain Control for Windows

www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/homes/buyingwindows.html

Window Options for Passive Solar

www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/windows_doors_skylights/index.cfm/mytopic=13360

Good place to begin:

Before You Insulate

www.ornl.gov/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_08.html

Good place to begin:

Replacing Your Furnace or Boiler

www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/homes/heatfurnace.html

Top-Rated Energy-Efficient Appliances

http://aceee.org/consumerguide/topfurn.htm

(A list of the most efficient furnaces from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.)

Energy-Efficient Gas Heating for the Home

www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/space_heating_cooling/index.cfm/mytopic=12530

Energy Star Furnaces

www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=furnaces.pr_furnaces

How to Buy an Energy-Efficient Residential Gas Furnace

www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/gas_furnace.pdf

Good place to begin:

Lowering the Energy Use of Your Furnace or Boiler

www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/homes/heatingenergyuse.html

Winter Energy Savings from Lower Thermostat Settings

www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/space_heating_cooling/index.cfm/mytopic=12720

Advanced Information:

Winter Energy Savings from Lower Thermostat Settings

www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/consumptionbriefs/recs/thermostat_settings/thermostat.html

(An estimate of how energy savings from changing the thermostat setting differ in different parts of the country.)

Good place to begin:

An Information Survival Kit for the Prospective Geothermal Heat Pump Owner geoheat.oit.edu/ghp/ghptable.htm

(This is the table of contents for a site with many pages explaining heat pumps. Some of the links, especially the FAQ ones, are to pages that are short and easy to understand. Other pages are highly technical. )

Environmental and Energy Benefits of Geothermal Heat Pumps

www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/heatpumps.html

Air-Source Heat Pumps

www.nrel.gov/docs/fy01osti/28037.pdf

(8 pages. Comprehensive, but written for homeowners.)

Good place to begin:

Cooling Your Home Naturally

www.mass.gov/doer/pub_info/cool-nat.pdf

Cooling Your Home Efficiently

www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/info/homes/coolingefficiently.html

Home Cooling

www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/space_heating_cooling/index.cfm/mytopic=12350