Cooperative Living July 2014 - 23

CAUGHT IN THE WEB by Laura Emery, Field Editor
'Watts' on the Web?

Energy Conservation Tips (For All Ages)
Can Be Found Online
          
        
          
            
       
        
         
           
     
 
www.energyhog.org
They're everywhere - in your homes, at
work, and in schools. They're wasting energy
and costing you hundreds of dollars every year.
This is a great website dedicated to " energy
hogs " and the ongoing quest to stop them from
reducing energy efficiency. On the website's
landing page, there is a link for adults and a
link for children. The adult section contains a
wide variety of energy-efficiency resources and
information to help you bust energy hogs wherever
you are.
But the website's gem is found within its children's
section. Here, you'll find an interactive
Energy-Busters game that helps kids learn how
to " beat those nasty oinkers. " They can scroll
over different rooms in the home to discover
ways to " bust some energy pigs " and stop
them from " pigging out " on power. There's also
a fun energy-hog scavenger hunt (called " hogand-seek " ).
Once kids complete the games successfully,
they become " Official Hog Busters. "
With tons of cute photos, this website gets its
message across easily to all ages (improving
energy efficiency by spotting energy hogs).
Scout around the website and you're sure to
find something that appeals to you.
 
www.energyquest.ca.gov
Energy Quest is an energy education website
of the California Energy Commission, and is
very kid-friendly. Electricity conservation is
explained in a way that any kid can understand.
There are also a number of electricityfocused
games for young children to play on
this website.
July 2014/www.co-opliving.com
    
www.energy.gov
The Department of Energy's overarching
mission is to advance the national, economic,
and energy security of the United States; to
promote scientific and technological innovation
in support of that mission; and to ensure
the environmental cleanup of the national
nuclear weapons complex. The Department's
strategic goals to achieve the mission are
designed to deliver results along five strategic
themes: energy security, nuclear security,
scientific discovery, environmental responsibility,
and management excellence. For information
on anything relating to energy, this is a
must-go website.
 
www.energystar.gov
You've probably heard of the popular
ENERGY STAR label, most often linked to
purchasing appliances and products that
help make your home more energy efficient.
The label was designed to help make it easy
for consumers to identify and purchase energyefficient
products that can save on energy bills.
But there's much more to ENERGY STAR. First,
it is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) voluntary program that helps businesses
and individuals save money and protect the
climate through energy efficiency. You can
find information on ENERGY STAR products,
but you can also find answers to many common
questions on how to achieve superior
energy efficiency in your home or business.
With the Home Energy Yardstick (link is on
landing page), you can quickly assess the
energy efficiency of your home and see how
it measures up. There's also information on
Federal tax credits for energy efficiency, as
well as a colorful section of the website
dedicated to helping kids learn how to
become " energy stars. "
 
www.energizeefficiently.coop
In Virginia, Maryland and Delaware,
electric cooperatives provide services to
people in the region's rural areas and
emerging suburbs. Cooperatives have long
been deeply involved in their communities
and today many cooperatives have expanded
their efforts to meet whatever needs exist
in their service area. This website is provided
to you by the collective efforts of these cooperatives.
Calculate your home energy use
with easy-to-use tools, learn how to use energy
efficiently, and stay up-to-date on current
events relating to energy-efficiency.
Also, be sure and check
out your local electric
cooperative's website on
more ways to help save
electricity.
For direct links to suggested websites,
visit www.co-opliving.com. 
21
GRMARC/ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK

http://www.energyhog.org http://www.energy.gov http://www.energizeefficiently.coop http://www.energystar.gov http://www.energyquest.ca.gov http://www.co-opliving.com

Cooperative Living July 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living July 2014