Making Wise Appliance Choices When planning on replacing an appliance, one of the first stops — before you go to a store — should be the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star web site. Energy Star appliances Energy Star offers businesses and consumers energy efficient solutions that help save money while protecting the environment for future generations. The appliances rated by Energy Star include clothes washers, refrigerators, dishwashers and room air conditioners. After an appliance is selected, the program can search all brands or any individual brand for numbers of specific models that meet Energy Star standards which are 25 percent more energy efficient than the industry standard. At least 38 brands of dishwashers are contained in the searchable database. And if you're looking for a television, computer, stereo or lightbulb, Energy Star can help. For more information about how Energy Star can help, visit their web site at http://www.energystar.gov/products/

Online Energy Audits for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses Lincoln Electric System now provides a no-cost service that helps businesses find ways to easily reduce energy costs.

Boiler energy audit

The utility has found the online interactive audit is easy to use and can provide the customer with practical, customized advice on methods to cut costs. Armed with the details from one month's electric bill, all most business customers will have to do is answer a few questions about how energy is used at the company. One business owner who took the survey, said it showed how his monthly energy bills could be reduced by 16 percent. The results identified 22 energy-saving ideas that ranged from lighting to cooling and refrigeration. One of the advantages of the online audit is that customers don't have to have a lot of technical knowledge. Since each audit profile is customized, the customer is provided a user identification and password are assigned so that the customer can return to the site to complete an analysis or update information after improvements are made.

Information Services and Resources The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse provides fact sheets, brochures, videos and publications on energy efficiency and renewable energy. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse P.O. Box 3048, Merrifield, VA 22116 Phone between 7am-4pm CT, Monday-Friday. 1-800-363-3732 or for the hearing impaired call 1-800-273-2957 8am-6pm. Fax 1-703-893-0400 Internet: http://www.eere.energy.gov//consumerinfo/ The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy or EERE is a gateway to energy efficiency and renewable energy information sources. Internet: www.eere.energy.gov The commercial energy audit can be found at the Lincoln Electric System web site at http://www.les.com/ Click on "Business" in the list at the left, then click on "Commercial Energy Profile" in the drop-down menu. Is A Small Wind Turbine in Your Future? Small wind generator The U.S. Consumers' Guide for Small Wind Electric Systems, revised in October 2002 provides information to help determine if a small wind electric system can supply all or a portionof the energy needed in homesand businesses. Topics included in the Guide: How to make you home more energy efficient How to choose the right size turbine The parts of a wind electric system Determining if there is sufficient wind resources on your site Choosing the best site for a turbine Connecting the system to a utility grid Is independence from a utility feasible with wind energy The Guide can be found at http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy03osti/29793.pdf Home Energy Loans Energy Statistics State of Nebraska Home Disclaimer Webmaster