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Oh, the (Energy-Related) Stories I Have Heard...
I don't have an interesting tidbit, video, or page to link to today, so I thought I would share a few things I've heard people say about saving energy. I'd call them "stories," except I'm paraphrasing and summarizing so much that it's more like random advice that I've heard people give. I think they're kind of fun reminders that, well, we are all pretty energy-savvy here, but there's still a lot of education that needs to be done.
Let's get this started!
Once upon a time, I knew someone who was sure that it would cost less to use a gas fireplace to heat their living room than it would to let the central heating run. They figured the fireplace could heat a small area better than the central air, which would have to heat the whole house.
Is that true? It depends! You need to check your utilities to know that, because they charge you differently for gas than for electricity. But to do that, you need to know how much gas your fireplace actually uses. (And that's useful information. I wonder if my apartment could tell me that much about my fireplace?) For me, though? Gas is kind of pricy. If I had a wood and pellet-burning fireplace I could at least look that up on Energy Savers.
I once knew someone who thought they could turn the heat off and use a space heater instead. This would only be the case if you had a space heater that used less energy while it was on than your central heating did. So! Look into how much energy your space heater uses. Learn about your space heater. I can assure you that every single one of the cheap-o brands I've bought were so grossly inefficient that they couldn't be used as my primary heating source.
...Of course, there's another reason to not try to heat your entire house with a space heater. And that's because most of you live in a place where it will freeze, and you can't decide to just turn your heat off to save money.
Because, you see, I also knew someone who thought it was fine to just turn the heat off all winter and rely on blankets and sweaters instead. Think of your pipes before you do that!
And, finally, here's a weird one. I knew someone who had heard the truism that running the oven heats up your kitchen. That's true! This person decided that, consequentially, this meant that running the oven with nothing in it was a good way to heat a kitchen. And... yeah, don't do that. If you want to heat your house, do it with something that's designed for heating. If you try to be creative about it you might burn down your house.
I think the lesson is this: If you're serious about saving energy, you have to do a little research. Yes, yes, "research" is a word that makes some people cringe. Sorry. But you have to know how much energy you use to know how to cut back in the right places.
Figure out where you're wasting energy. Read your utility bill. Know how much you have to pay for electricity or gas. Know how much it costs to run your appliances. (If you want to do the math, you can estimate your energy use with this handy formula) Then you can decide what you should heat your home with and for how long.
Have you heard anyone pass along not-so-good advice about saving energy? Share your stories in the comments!
Elizabeth Spencer is a communicator at DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which assists EERE in providing technical content for many of its websites. 
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Light My Fire...Or Yours
It comes as no surprise that 9-out-of-10 American homes burned wood for heat a little more than a century ago. Likewise, it's also probably not news that the number dwindled to less than 1% by the 1970s. After all, who wants to chop and stack cordwood when you can set the thermostat to be comfortable? Perhaps that's why Paul Bunyan is so rarely spotted around town these days.
Still, there is something irresistible about the warmth of a crackling fire. That appeal probably explains why fireplaces and wood-burning heating stoves haven't disappeared in many communities, and that upgrades such as energy efficient inserts and stoves are common.
Our house fit somewhere in between the new school and traditional infernos. For years we used our fireplace only on special occasions. But we didn't have many fires because, due to a design quirk in our 1970's vintage structure in the Colorado foothills, the hearth faced the dining room--not the adjoining living room. As a result, the living room was chilly, featuring only the back of a moss-rock chimney. And why make a fire for the dining room? Nobody lingers for three hours at table, sipping coffee and commenting on blazing logs. If anything, we might curse the clattering flue damper that blew open in gusty weather and open fireplace screen which added to drafts in our already leaky home. As my colleague Drew reminded us, keeping a flue shut is an easy way to be more energy efficient. But despite a bungee cord, we couldn't get ours to comply.
While we debated adding a wood pellet-burning stove, there wasn't enough room. So we decided to take a leap back in time—while still being cutting edge by cutting energy bills—and re-build a two-sided fireplace that includes the living room. As a bonus, we added a damper that actually closes and tempered glass fire doors to reduce the draw as the embers burned out.
After the work was completed by the Michelangelo of masons, the two-sided hearth worked perfectly. While it doesn't compare in efficiency with my brother-in-law's 47,300 BTU Quadra Fire Classic Bay pellet-burning stove—which keeps his basement floor toasty—it does crank out. And by keeping our thermostat turned down to about 55 degrees, we can now enjoy a cozy feeling in the living room when the logs are ablaze. While pellet-burning stoves may burn more cleanly, they do require some electricity (estimated at $9 per month on average) to run, and have parts that can break. Not so with the fireplace. The only decision we have to make is when to get up from the dinner table and saunter around to the other side of chimney where three-hour conversations can take place in the retro-glow of our living room.
Ernie Tucker is editor of the weekly EERE Network News newsletter who is spending an increasing amount of his winter leisure time stoking a renovated fireplace, which his cats appreciate as much as his family does. 
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This Month on Energy Savers: January 2012
In the coldest parts of winter, we've turned our thoughts toward the best seasonal tips, conservation of water and lighting power, and what's new in 2012. If you've missed any of January's posts, here's a recap.
What's New in 2012
On the Blog, In Case You Missed It…
This Month
Weekly Questions—Did You Share Your Answer?
Comment Spotlight
Home Maintenance Tracker commented on Have You Found Any Energy-Efficient Bargains?: "LED lights are also more durable than traditional lights. We all know how frustrating it can be for one light to break and shut down the rest of the string."
king singh commented on Musings on Water (and Power): "It takes about 1.75 gallons of water washed down the drain for the first hot water to arrive at the showerhead in the bathroom on the top floor, and only one gallon to the showerhead in the bathroom on the lower floor. Assuming five showers a week per person for 50 weeks (the rest of the time is at the gym or on vacation), that’s 250 showers times .75 gallon wasted per person annually, What a great calculation"
Mike commented on New Years Revolutions: "1. Use the travel mug I bought last year every time I buy coffee so I'm not using unneeded paper/plastic/styrofoam cups.
2. Try to be more conscious of the things I do daily that have an impact on the environment like turning water off while brushing my teeth or soaping up in the shower, etc.
3. Replace more bulbs with LEDs." 
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Green Up Your Next Movie Night!
Winter. For many of us, the season means hot chocolate, winter sports, exercise indoors, and the classic American pastime—movie night. So, if you find yourself caught in a chilly day, and are in the mood for popcorn and a good flick at home, check out the following movies that have environmental or clean energy innuendoes/themes:
- Back to the Future—In parts II and III of the popular series, the DeLorean time machine was powered by the Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor. In the end of the first movie, we see Dr. Emmett Brown putting a banana peel, beer (and the can), and other waste products into the Mr. Fusion unit, and in turn, suggesting that the car's flux capacitor is run on biomass energy. Another interesting tidbit is that the cool DeLorean car that was featured in the series is actually being made in real life as an electric vehicle.
- Avatar—This 3D box office megahit carries a strong environmental theme. The film's depiction of corporate mining for unobtanium in the Na'vi lands is a futuristic caricature of the oil and coal extraction that we're familiar with here on Earth. The film shows the damage to wildlife habitats and impacts on the livelihoods of native residents from the excessive exploitation of interplanetary mineral resources. In his interviews on the film, Avatar Director James Cameron has urged the rapid transition to renewable energy.
- Iron Man—Tony Stark, the superhero of this Marvel Comics hit flick, owns a shiny battery-powered Tesla Roadster, boosting the appeal of the electric vehicle. In real life, Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz bought the Toyota Prius in 2001, helping to kick off the hybrid car boom. Actor Ed Begley, Jr., one of Hollywood's prominent environmentalists, has owned electric vehicles since the 1970s. Find out more about advanced vehicle technologies.
- An Inconvenient Truth—Last, but certainly not least, is former Vice President Al Gore's documentary on climate change. The end of the movie features simple, effective steps that consumers can take to save energy and money in their home, such as using energy-efficient lighting, installing a programmable thermostat, choosing energy-efficient appliances, and getting a home energy assessment.
All you clean energy/environment-loving movie fans out there, please chime in with your thoughts or suggestions in the comments section below.
John Chu is a Communications Specialist with the Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. 
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Be a Lean, Mean, Green Eating Machine
Like most Americans, I watched the State of the Union to hear President Obama outline his goals for the year ahead, to understand his energy outlook and plans, and of course, to see what Michelle would be wearing (a stunning royal blue, of course).
When listening to the President highlight his administration’s clean energy initiatives, I couldn’t help but remember the First Family's goals to reduce childhood obesity in America. By no surprise, the link between nationwide health improvement and energy efficiency efforts is strong. By reducing our demand for processed and imported foods, we can improve the health of generations to come, extend our overall lifespan and reduce the energy we waste on packaging.
In the First Lady's health program, she outlines goals of improving the quality of food in schools and making healthy foods more affordable and accessible for families. The message resonates with many of us who are steadfastly moving forward with our new year’s resolution to drop the pounds – and save some energy along the way.
If you were born in 1975 or later, you are probably well-versed on the topic of organic growing and eating. We’ve heard it a million times: Organic foods are foods that have not been produced using pesticides, chemicals or unnatural ingredients. So, what exactly is it about organic food that is green-friendly? Research has shown that foods grown by sustainable agricultural methods avoid unnecessary pollution and oil consumption caused by synthetic, petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides.
In addition to the energy savings that comes from producing organic foods, growing them locally (perhaps in your own garden) saves the energy cost of shipping and importing. And while we're on the topic of growing in your backyard, it really is the least expensive option, as opposed to buying the sometimes overpriced organic produce in your grocery store.
Gardening websites suggest that many of your regular vegetables can be successfully grown in late winter/early spring, such as broccoli, beets, potatoes, radishes, collards, lettuce, peas and turnips. We've talked about composting several times – it's important to remember that your garden will benefit from the rich in nutrient soil you can obtain from composting.
While it isn't scientifically proven that organic food is more nutritious or can promote weight loss, there are thousands of testimonies online from people who have experienced firsthand that an organic diet can vastly improve health. From the reduction in pesticides and hormones to the fresher and “cleaner” taste of the foods, Americans have seen the difference in selecting organic for the foods they consume.
Looking ahead to rest of 2012, I hope we can all work alongside each other to improve our health and energy outlook and begin taking those baby steps to reach our goals – both as individuals and as a country.
Kristin Swineford supports DOE's Weatherization & Intergovernmental Program in Communications & Outreach. 
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