Energy Conservation
First Things First
Before undertaking a renewable energy project, you should first do everything you can to make your home or business energy-efficient. There are many available information sources that will help you save money and energy at the same time. For starters, check out these resources from the Arkansas Energy Office:
Consumer's Guide to Lower Utility Bills
A series of guides that provide step-by-step suggestions and energy-saving tips for improving energy efficiency in your home and reducing your energy bills.Residential Energy Efficiency Information
Provides cost-effective solutions, offers creative alternatives, and identifies resources to help you make informed decisions to reduce your utility bills and increase your comfort level.Commercial Energy Efficiency Information
Design professionals, owners, and managers of commercial facilities will find a host of tools to help reduce energy costs.Industrial Energy Efficiency Information
Design professionals, owners, and managers of commercial and industrial facilities will find energy management tools and resources to help reduce utility bills and optimize energy use in their facilities.Community Energy Efficiency Information
Provide resources, funding information, and other tools that can help improve the energy efficiency of businesses, schools, and other local agencies and facilities in your community.Transportation Information
Provides a list of links that offer valuable information on fuel-efficient transportation strategies and technologies.Energy Saving Projects, Resources & Tools
Links to factsheets, publications, checklists, and online calculators to help save energy in your home or apartment.
Still hungry for information? Check out these resources!
Alliance to Save Energy
Offers consumers information to save money, increase comfort, and even reduce pollution through energy efficiency.
American Council for an
Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
ACEEE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing
energy efficiency as a means of promoting both economic
prosperity and environmental protection.
Community Energy Opportunity Finder, Version 1.0
A new, free, on-line tool from the Rocky Mountain Institute. The Finder allows users to enter basic physical and energy information about their community and calculate potential dollar savings, emissions reductions and jobs gained by increasing community energy efficiency. Those with no technical knowledge gather easy-to-find local data and, in just a few days, produce multiple scenarios for their community based on different economic assumptions.
DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
An excellent resource for information about renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Energy Ideas Clearinghouse
Offers more than 5,000 resources on energy efficiency, including such topics as appliances, heating/cooling, motors, lighting, as well as information specific to the agriculture, commercial, industrial, residential, and utility sectors.
Energy
Savers
Interested in saving money by making your home or small
business more energy-efficient? Want to use renewable energy
to heat or power your home or small business? This site
is your guide to the world of renewable energy and energy
efficiency options.
EPA Energy Star Program
A government-backed program that helps businesses and individuals
protect the environment through superior energy efficiency.
Energy Star certifies products in a variety of categories
that achieve high levels of energy efficiency, including
appliances,
lighting,
windows
and doors, heating
and cooling equipment, exit
signs, office
equipment, and home
electronics. Products meeting Energy Star standards
are identified on the website, along with other sources
of information, savings calculators, and more. As well,
the Energy
Star New Homes program certifies homes that meet strict
energy-efficiency guidelines set forth by EPA. The website
also identifies ways to make your home or business more
energy-efficient and, thus, less costly to operate.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
A national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy that conducts research in energy efficiency and renewable energy. The Web site includes information on research areas, program activities, publications, and reference resources.
Next Step: Energy
A website of the Minnesota Sustainable Communities Network that includes useful information on a variety of topics related to sustainability, including energy.
Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH)
A public/private sector initiative that seeks to expand the development and utilization of new technologies to make American homes stronger, safer, and more durable; more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly; easier to maintain and less costly to operate; and more comfortable to live in. Its website includes information on Best Practices, a Technology Inventory, and other useful resources.
Powerful $avings
DOE and the Alliance to Save Energy launched this new public education and awareness campaign in May 2004. The campaign will provide consumers with the information and tools necessary to make smart energy choices a part of their daily lives.
Renewable Energy Policy Project
Supports the advancement of renewable energy technology through policy research, and seeks to define growth strategies for renewables that respond to competitive energy markets and environmental needs. Its website includes links to a number of REPP Issue Briefs, Research Reports, and Initiatives, many of which are downloadable.
Road Maps to Energy Efficiency provides three RoadMaps that offer different step-by-step approaches that act as a guide to retrofitting commercial properties, particularly tenant-occupied office buildings, to improve energy efficiency and reduce operating costs. Each RoadMap is presented as a flowchart that outlines the specific steps of the process, from gathering information, to installing new equipment, to monitoring the results.
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)
A nonprofit organization that focuses on seven areas: Energy, Transportation, Green Development, Water, Economic Renewal, Corporate Sustainability, and Security. Through its Energy program, RMI strives to illustrate how people, communities, and utilities can save energy. RMI's Economic Renewal Guide provides a step-by-step community decision-making process that defuses factionalism, encourages collaborative citizen involvement and self-reliance, and leads to sustainable development that benefits everyone.
SmarterArchitecture
The Arkansas Department of Economic Development - Arkansas Energy Office and the University of Arkansas Community Design Center have developed this 170-page, full color publication highlighting communities and buildings that use sustainable concepts and energy-efficient design and technologies. SmarterArchitecture shows how design professionals, building owners and community leaders can be stewards of the environment while promoting economic development.
Sustainable Energy Coalition
Provides a list of expert contacts on a wide range of energy issues from renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency to climate change. In addition, visitors can find background information on the gamut of renewable and energy efficiency technologies as well as current news on the subject.
Publications
Consumer Fact Sheets
Access a host of DOE fact sheets on a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy topics.
Energy Services Publications
Western's Energy Services newsletters and publications provide information to customers and their end-users on multiple topics, including demand-side-management, energy-related technology, strategic marketing, renewable resources and energy-based community development. Over 60 publications are available.