The Home Energy Saver Mission Statement

Mission The Home Energy Saver web site (HES, http://HomeEnergySaver.lbl.gov) is an interactive decision-support environment for residential consumers. Its aims are to increase consumer interest in energy efficiency and to foster market activities that capture those opportunities. The site is developed and maintained by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory with past and present sponsorship from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the California Energy Commission (CEC).

The Home Energy Saver supports the federal energy mission by helping to build national recognition of the ENERGY STAR brand and by enabling consumers to quantify the energy savings and environmental benefits that can be achieved by participating in the ENERGY STAR program. The site is also used periodically by students and researchers as a tool for analyzing residential energy performance issues, and for learning from actual homeowners about their experiences with implementing energy-saving upgrades.

The following seven objectives guide the development of the HES web site:

• Cost-Effective National Energy Policy - Contribute to the national goals of improved energy efficiency and pollution prevention.

• Maximal Taxpayer Benefits - Increase consumer access to the results of previous taxpayer-funded energy information products and to research & development on energy efficiency at LBNL and elsewhere.

• Nationwide Applicability - Ensure relevance to the diversity of U.S. climate conditions and housing stock.

• Objectivity & Inclusiveness - Technology and fuel neutrality, coupled with credible and up-to-date analysis.

• Transparency of Assumptions - Fully documented and based on non-proprietary assumptions/algorithms.

• Internet R&D - Help define and advance the technological cutting edge of web-based energy calculators and interfaces, and provide technology transfer to private sector software developers.

• Ease of Use - Facilitate a positive and time-efficient user experience, and access to other relevant public and private web sites.

HES Support for Private-Sector Vendors of Energy-Efficient Products, Services, and Tools

The Home Energy Saver is a non-proprietary website developed on behalf of public agencies charged with building public awareness of energy efficiency. We encourage other sites to link to us at no charge, and we welcome proposals for reciprocal links. No special permission is required for linking to the site.

An important aspect of our mission is to complement and enhance private sector business activities within the context of the aforementioned objectives. This is a natural extension of the technology transfer role that LBNL has played in the market for energy-efficient technologies and tools over the past 30 years.

While the HES website does not endorse specific products or websites, it does actively help consumers reach the web pages of businesses that are active in this arena.

Private-sector software developers have expressed interest in collaborating with HES. There are various ways to organize such technology transfer:

• The HES project continues to develop and test new web-based methods for calculating and communicating energy efficiency information for residential consumers. The HES development team members are pioneers in the field of web-based calculators and interfaces, and continue to explore the cutting edge of the technology. Private developers can tap this expertise through consultation with the HES team, or through direct study and analysis of the web site and the documentation provided there.

• The HES calculation methods and underlying data are clearly documented through the HES Help Module, and in the open literature. Other web-based tool developers are welcome to use this information at no cost, providing that the source is properly credited. Those wishing to utilize actual computer code from the HES site can access those materials through the LBNL's licensing process; however, the extensive computer programming expertise and investment would be required to fully replicate the site. Alternatively, private-sector developers may directly tap the HES engine and servers to produce analyses for display within a user interface of their own design (rather than replicating the HES site on their own servers).

• Within the HES resides a qualified repository of links to hundreds of relevant web sites, including other energy calculators, lists of energy efficient products, on-line readings, and state-by-state links to utility efficiency programs. Private-sector developers may wish to tap this repository for use within their own sites, or simply offer reciprocal links between sites. Users benefit from the value-added that LBNL offers in the recruitment of links, and in maintaining the resource.

• The HES site also contains a significant amount of LBNL-authored content, such as FAQs, Help documents, and descriptions of retrofit measures. Private tool developers may wish to utilize some of this information in their products.

There are no plans to introduce revenue-generating features such as e-commerce, auctions, advertising, or energy services, within the HES web site. Although it would conceivably increase traffic to the HES site, there are also no plans to offer broader "portal-types" of services such as stock quotes, free email, pager services, news headlines, or local weather.

The ideas presented here are necessarily as dynamic as the energy efficiency marketplace itself, and of the Internet as an emerging media and information technology. We will endeavor to update the Home Energy Saver website to keep pace with these developments. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact us with their ideas and suggestions.