Energy & Environmental Information
For Consumers
Home Energy Efficiency Websites
August 2010
Federal
ENERGY STAR FAQs
These more than 400 entries can be keyword searched individually or searched by topics that include insulation, air sealing, appliances, HVAC, remodeling, tax credits, windows/doors/skylights, and many more. The detailed responses typically include useful links to other, more in-depth portions of the ENERGY STAR website.
Home Energy Saver FAQs
LBNL’s Home Energy Saver FAQ web page offer general guidance on home energy issues, organized by topics such as HVAC, windows, water heating, and lighting.
U.S. Department of Energy’s EERE Energy Savers Web Page
This Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website is a excellent one for advice on home energy efficiency, organized by nine categories, with three to seven sub-categories each. Each sub-category contains an abundance of information ranging from do-it-yourself home inspections to payback analyses to detailed explanations of R value and heat flow.
State
California Energy Commission’s Consumer Energy Center: CONSUMER TIPS to $AVE ENERGY AND MONEY
Organized by "summertime tips" and "wintertime tips," this site offers basic tips that users can follow to save energy at home.
California’s Long-Term Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan FAQs
This big-picture California Public Utilities Commission site answers the top seven questions about the strategic plan.
Flex Your Power FAQs
This site provides big-picture information on saving money from a residential, commercial, and institutional perspective.
New York Energy $mart (NYSERDA)
This New York State Energy Research Development and Authority (NYSERDA) website offers a wealth of material on home energy savings for single-and multi-family homes, energy efficient products, advanced technologies, energy education, and many other categories. Some portions feature videos as well.
Texas State Energy Conservation Office: Residential Customers
SECO’s website provides links (How to Save, Tools and Rebates, Learn More) to information on home energy that lead to more detailed SECO web pages or other authoritative energy savings sites on specific topics. The How to Save link identifies activities as No Cost, Low Cost, and High Cost.
City and County
Alameda County Green Retrofit and Energy Efficiency Program
This FAQ site answers questions about a new energy-efficiency retrofit program to be implemented throughout Alameda County beginning in autumn 2010.
City of Berkeley Green Remodeling Guide
This useful FAQ/guideline helps users navigate the logistics of a green building project through the City of Berkeley permitting process.
City of Berkeley Office of Energy and Sustainable Development, RECO FAQs
The City of Berkeley’s Residential Energy Conservation Ordinance (RECO) FAQ website answers homeowners’ questions about RECO compliance and includes helpful links to guidelines and other information regarding compliance.
City of Oakland Green Building Resource Center
This city website offers information about Oakland’s Green Building Resource Center and green buildings in general, accompanied by many useful links.
City of San Jose - Green-It-Yourself: Smart Ideas for Home Improvement
This booklet leads readers through major home energy uses and how to reduce them. It is organized into three sections—energy efficiency, water conservation and green materials—and offers straightforward recommendations that are oriented to the San Francisco Bay Area.
SF Environment’s "Save Energy in My Home" Section
This San Francisco web page offers two PDFs discussing home energy savings: one about heating and cooling and the other about lighting and appliances.
Utilities
Bonneville Power Administration – Money-Saving Energy Efficiency Tips
This site offers many tips on saving energy in the home, with categories geared toward appliances, the workplace, cooling, heating, lighting, and water, windows and doors. It also features a variety of videos and a detailed section on weatherization.
Florida Power & Light (FPL) Home Energy Survey
Featuring a home energy survey for its customers, this FPL site also offers information for all users under topics such as Causes of High Bills, Interactive House, Top 10 Tips, and Appliance Savings.
PG&E Energy Saving Tips
PG&E provides about a dozen bullet points providing basic, useful information on how to save energy in your home. Topics range from buying ENERGY STAR appliances to correlating energy use to your thermostat setting.
Progress Energy – Energy Efficiency & Renewables, Tools and Resources
This electric utility offering service to the Carolinas and Florida offer pull-down menus and links to a variety of subjects from washing clothes to seasonable energy tips to information on connecting your renewable resource to the grid.
SMUD Home Energy Library FAQs
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District provides answers to 10 common FAQs on home energy, with most containing links to other pertinent information. This FAQ page is part of SMUD’s Home Energy Library, which is a very detailed resource.
Private Organizations
California Building Performance Contractors Association: “Resources: What to Expect from Home Performance”
The CBPCA website lets homeowners click on a link for problems ranging from high utility bills to mold and a damp basement), which links them to the ENERGY STAR website page on that subject. Also provided is a list of building materials and systems, which are linked to the appropriate ENERGY STAR web page.
California Green Builder FAQ
This website provides information about the California Green Builder program and general information about building a green home.
GreenPoint Rated Existing Home Backgrounder
These FAQs focus specifically on the details and logistics of the GreenPoint Rated program for existing homes in California.
Efficiency Vermont
The Efficiency Vermont website offers detailed information on compact fluorescents, home improvements, appliances, electronics, and rebates and incentives.
Home Energy Magazine Do-it-Yourself: The Consumer Information Section
Home Energy magazine’s articles are geared toward the homeowner/layperson. Topics, including ducts, roofs, air sealing, refrigerators, benchmarking against your neighbors, and varied indoor air quality issues are explored at length.
StopWaste’s Green Building FAQs
Mostly organized by category, such as General, IAQ, Windows, Insulation, Energy, Quality and Affordability, these questions receive comprehensive answers and also include some links to further information.
U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Home Guide FAQ (Ask a Pro)
More interactive than a normal FAQ page, this site’s blog-like format features qualified professionals answering questions, well-organized into categories. Users can add comments and feed to social media.
