The Energy Department today announced $13 million in funding to help communities across the country reduce market and policy barriers to solar deployment and recognize communities for taking the initiative to go solar. This investment will make it faster, cheaper, and easier for Americans to install affordable solar energy systems and spur solar deployment nationwide by decreasing costs and supporting communities' efforts to transform solar energy markets. The Solar Powering America by Recognizing Communities (SPARC) funding opportunity will establish a national recognition and technical assistance program for local governments—driving greater solar deployment and making it possible for even more American homes and businesses to access affordable and renewable solar energy to meet their electricity needs. Funding recipients will establish and administer a national recognition program and also provide technical assistance and share best practices with communities seeking national recognition for cutting red tape and improving local solar market conditions.  Once the...

EERE offers webinars to the public on a range of subjects, from adopting the latest energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, to training for the clean energy workforce. Webinars are free; however, advanced registration is typically required. You can also watch archived webinars and browse previously aired videos, slides, and transcripts. Upcoming Webinars February 12: High Performance Enclosure Strategies, Part I: Unvented Roof Systems and Innovative Advanced Framing Strategies Webinar Sponsor: Building America The Energy Department will present a live webinar titled "High Performance Enclosure Strategies, Part I: Unvented Roof Systems and Innovative Advanced Framing Strategies" on Thursday, February 12, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. This webinar is part of the Energy Department's Building America program's monthly webinar series, covering residential building technologies and practices. This month's webinar will focus on methods to design and build roof and wall systems for high performance homes that optimize energy...

One of the rooms in my house is cold. Really, really cold. This isn't actually surprising, because it's above the garage and nestled in between two unheated attic spaces. It borders unheated space or the outside on three walls and the floor. So when winter came around, we expected that it would be a little chilly. Then we had our first -5 degree day. It was awful. This room was several degrees colder than the rest of the house. It was cold enough that your hands would cramp with cold when every other room was perfectly habitable. The only way to keep it warm was to overheat the rest of the house or use space heaters—and both of those options were really expensive. Worse yet, this was our office! We spent more time in that room than we did anywhere else! We had to do something. So we started looking for...

New Better Buildings Challenge Partners Commit 70 Million Square Feet, $1.7 Billion WASHINGTON – Building on President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the Energy Department announced today that more than 20 new partners have committed to improving energy efficiency across their respective building portfolios by 20 percent over the next ten years. These new partners, including the 6 multifamily partners announced by the White House earlier today, bring with them fresh perspective and leadership in newly represented sectors, spanning over 70 million square feet of fast-food, restaurant, manufacturing, university, and government facilities. As leaders in energy efficiency, partners will work with the Department to share their successful efficiency strategies and help pave the way for other organizations to follow. “The Better Buildings Challenge partners announced today are demonstrating leadership in a variety of industries, bringing greater energy efficiency to American restaurants, data centers, multifamily housing developments and cities across the country,” said...

Energy Department Announces More Than $59 Million Investment in Solar Funding to Drive Solar Technology Innovation, Help Communities Boost Deployment WASHINGTON– In support of the Administration’s effort to double renewable energy generation for a second time by 2020, the Energy Department announced more than $59 million in funding to support solar energy innovation today. The Department is making $45 million in funding available to quickly move innovative solar manufacturing technologies to market, and is also awarding more than $14 million for 15 new projects to help communities develop multi-year solar deployment plans to install solar electricity in homes, businesses, and communities. As more communities look to solar energy as a source of clean, renewable electricity, the funding announced today will help lower the cost of going solar and enable businesses to develop solutions for overcoming technical, regulatory, and financial challenges, further unleashing cost-competitive solar energy. “As President Obama noted in his...

Energy Department Recognizes City of Roanoke, VA for Leadership in Better Buildings Challenge ROANOKE, Va. – As part of the Obama Administration’s effort to cut energy waste in the nation’s buildings, the Energy Department today recognized the city of Roanoke, Virginia for its leadership. Through the Better Buildings Challenge, Roanoke has committed to 20 percent savings by 2020 across more than 25 buildings, covering one million square feet. Roanoke has already achieved 16 percent energy savings since 2009, and its Better Buildings Challenge showcase project, a retrofit of the Berglund Center, is expected to result in 30 percent energy savings, totaling $180,000 annually.                        “Better Buildings Challenge partners are demonstrating that cutting energy waste and reducing greenhouse gas emissions improve communities,” said Dr. David Danielson, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “Through their leadership and ingenuity, these partners are moving...

Energy Secretary Moniz Unveils More Than $55 Million to Advance Fuel Efficient Vehicle Technologies WASHINGTON – Following the State of the Union Address on Tuesday, January 20 in which President Obama highlighted the surge in U.S. manufacturing and the strong growth in the auto industry, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz today announced more than $55 million to develop and deploy cutting-edge vehicle technologies that strengthen the clean energy economy. These technologies will play a key role in increasing fuel efficiency and reducing petroleum consumption, and support the Energy Department’s EV Everywhere Grand Challenge to make plug-in electric vehicles as affordable to own and operate as today's gasoline-powered vehicles by 2022.      “Energy Department investments in advanced vehicle technologies have had a major impact on the industry, driving down costs for consumers and reducing carbon emissions,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “These projects will continue America’s leadership in building safe, reliable, and efficient vehicles to...

EERE offers webinars to the public on a range of subjects, from adopting the latest energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, to training for the clean energy workforce. Webinars are free; however, advanced registration is typically required. You can also watch archived webinars and browse previously aired videos, slides, and transcripts. Upcoming Webinars January 22: Marine and Hydrokinetic Systems Performance Advancement Funding Opportunity Announcement Webinar Sponsor: Water Power Program The Energy Department will present a live webinar titled "Marine and Hydrokinetic Systems Performance Advancement II: Component Metric Validation" on Thursday, January 22, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Representatives of the Energy Department will discuss a new $8 million funding opportunity to spur innovation in next-generation marine and hydrokinetic (MHK) control and component technologies. The Energy Department plans to select up to five projects to improve the performance and reduce the technical risk of MHK technologies by advancing...

Happy New Year! It's 2015 folks, and that means it's time to get your New Year's resolutions in order. You may have already resolved to go to the gym or eat heathier, and that's great, but I challenge you to also create an #EnergyResolution that will save money while saving energy all year long. The Energy Saver bloggers were up to the challenge and have developed some great energy-saving resolutions you can try yourself. More Efficient Heating and Cooling Allison Casey:  "I resolve to install (and use!) a new programmable thermostat that allows me to better manage my heating and cooling with scheduled settings and a smartphone app." Programmable thermostats can store and repeat six or more daily settings that will automatically increase or decrease the temperature to maximize savings without sacrificing comfort. For example, by turning your thermostat back 10° to 15° for 8 hours, you can save 5% to...

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