Things Are Always Changing...
A Roundup of New and Updated Web Sites
The world of the Internet is ever-changing. Here are a some new sites and others that have been upgraded:
Going Hog Wild...
Energy Hogs Help Kids Find Energy Wasters at Home
The Energy Hog, a new U.S. Department of Energy spokes-villain, helps children and their parents learn fun and simple ways to use energy more efficiently. The new consumer awareness campaign utilizes public service announcements that direct viewers to an interactive web site at Energy Hog.
At the web site, visitors will meet Inspectors Hector and Irene at the HogBusters Training Camp. Energy Hog is really eight different half hog — half human creatures that can suck the energy out of your home faster than you can say, "Why did the lights go out?" The eight hogs include Boss, Hal, Freddie, Sammy Swine, Ivanna Hamm, Mork Pork, Kelvin Bacon and Penelope Pigg.
The web site features a room-by-room search for energy hogs, an energy scavenger hunt and five training games. To outsmart the Energy Hogs, you have to beat those nasty oinkers at their own game!
Editor's note: This game works best with high-speed Internet connections.
A Legend Goes Electronic...
Nebraska's Path to Passive Now Online
A long out-of-print agency publication, Path to Passive: Nebraska's Passive Solar Primer, is enjoying new found success on the Internet. This 270-page work was first printed in 1982 and was one of the agency's most-requested publications.
brochure
The purpose of Path to Passive is to provide information about building a passive solar heated home. The work attempts to identify all the variations for use of passive solar energy techniques utilized in home building.
The Primer can also serve as an introductory guide to stimulate new ideas and avoid common pitfalls. It can be found at: Path to Passive.
The Energy Office has embarked on a path to convert many of its past publications to digital formats so that they can be easily accessed on the agency's web site. "Path to Passive" is the second publication resulting from this effort. The first was a step-by-step manual on how to construct "The Russian Fireplace" which can be found at: The Russian Fireplace.
Science.gov
A Gateway to Science Information
In June 2004, the U.S. Department of Energy launched a new, improved version of science.gov, the federal government's portal to information about science at Science.gov.
The web site is a collaboration of 12 major science agencies, searches 1,700 web sites and 30 large databases that are not accessible to popular search engines. Science.gov 2.0 makes these 30 large databases searchable with a single query, presenting the results in order of relevance.
Hosted by the Department of Energy's Office of Scientific and Technical Information, Science.gov is made possible through a collaboration of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services and Interior, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, the Government Printing Office, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation, with support from the National Archives and Records Administration. Science.gov is a free resource, and no registration is required.
Many, Many Ways to Save...
Teaming Up to Help Consumers Save Energy and Money
The U.S. Department of Energy and the Alliance to Save Energy today announced a year-long Powerful $avings public education and awareness campaign designed to provide consumers with the information and tools necessary to make smart energy choices a part of their daily lives.
Both DOE and the Alliance offer free consumer booklets with helpful ways to reduce home energy bills that are important elements of the campaign:
- Energy Savers: Tips on Saving Energy & Money at Home is available in both English and Spanish at Energy Savers.
- The Alliance's Power$mart: Easy Tips to Save Money and the Planet is available at ASE Power $mart.
EERE WIP
New Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program (WIP) Web Site
The Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program, one of 11 energy programs in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, has produced a new web site that provides simple, intuitive access about the information and services it has to offer. This program works with communities, businesses, manufacturers and consumers to utilize energy-efficient technologies and policies.
The Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program serves as an umbrella for a number of programs including Building Energy Codes, Clean Cities, Energy Star, the International Renewable Energy Program, Inventions and Innovation, NICE3, Rebuild America, the State Energy Program, the Tribal Energy Program and the Weatherization Assistance Program.
This newly redesigned web site also provides the latest news from the program.