This winter, save money and stay warm. Keep your energy bill and your pollution output low this winter by taking a whole-house approach to heating.

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

Results are already adding up. Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy in 2007 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 27 million cars — all while saving $16 billion on their utility bills.

This summer, save money and stay cool. Keep your energy bill and your pollution output low this summer by taking a whole-house approach to cooling.

Energy costs are reaching record highs, and heating and electricity bills are keeping pace. Luckily, there are steps you can take in your home to lower your heating and electricity bills.

The Home Energy Saver is designed to help consumers identify the best ways to save energy in their homes, and find the resources to make the savings happen. The Home Energy Saver was the first Internet-based tool for calculating energy use in residential buildings. The project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as part of the national ENERGY STAR Program for improving energy efficiency in homes, with previous support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s PATH projgram, and the California Energy Commission’s Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program.

Just last week, Utah announced it’s state workers would be in the office ten hours a day Monday through Thursday and that offices would be closed on Friday. The state estimates it will save $3 million a year in energy costs by reducing lighting, heating, and air conditioning usage. Of course, state employees will benefit by saving money on gas during the one year trial period. Hopefully the government will deem the one year trial successful and the model will become more widespread.

The U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

The more we use renewable energy, the more we benefit the environment, strengthen our energy security, create jobs locally, and help improve our economy. Here you can explore ways to use renewable energy:

A home energy audit is often the first step in making your home more efficient. An audit can help you assess how much energy your home uses and evaluate what measures you can take to improve efficiency. But remember, audits alone don’t save energy. You need to implement the recommended improvements. ENERGY STAR provides extensive information about home improvement projects to enhance energy efficiency, lower utility bills, and increase comfort.

You can perform a simple energy audit yourself, or have a professional energy auditor perform a more thorough audit.

Your home uses energy every day, all day long. It uses energy to keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It uses energy to provide you with light when you need it. It uses energy to provide you with hot water. And it uses energy to run all of your appliances and home electronics.

Here you can learn how to use the energy in your home more efficiently. You can also learn how to use renewable energy to provide your home with electricity, heating, cooling, and water heating.

To earn the ENERGY STAR, a home must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These homes are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC), and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20–30% more efficient than standard homes.