Research: Websites helping you save energy

The focal point of this well designed site is its Impact Calculator. The quiz-styles calculator helps you get a fix on your energy goals and design it around your lifestyle with the aim of reducing your total environmental impact. The calculator uses regional default values and gives you a customized profile that reflects the specifics of your home. The other resources on the site are on recommendations on green products and services. One of my favorite sections is Lowdown which tells us how people are living in green homes around the world.

Another US Department of Energy website works similarly to the other energy savings calculator by using your location to setup an energy profile. With your location, you get an estimate of what a typical and what an energy efficient home spend on energy. Comparison estimates are detailed and show where (and how) you can redesign your home to start saving on energy costs. Even if you don’t upgrade, it’s a great learning tool to see how you can make a difference.

Earth Aid (Beta) tracks your energy usage by linking to your online utility accounts (gas, power, and water). Ideas on how to save are offered on the site as well as the community on it. Tracking your usage could help you visualize your energy spends and what more you need to do to lower the graph. The tips on ways you can save is neatly arranged and described with icons. You can check out incentives available, environmental benefits, and costs. Earth Aid takes a community approach as you can share your spends and savings with other members.

Blackle was created by Heap Media to remind us all of the need to take small steps in our everyday lives to save energy. Blackle searches are powered by Google Custom Search.

Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black. Image displayed is primarily a function of the user's color settings and desktop graphics, as well as the color and size of open application windows; a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen.

It even makes it fun to use by allowing you to custom make your own search engine, by adding your name and choosing the font/style, which will come up where "Google" usually appears.

Denkimeter
This was developed by university professor and game researcher Akito Inoue.. Inoue based the game around energy conservation but imbued it with the spirit of competition.
To play, simply form a team and then tweet your home electricity meter readings. If your team's energy consumption is less than that of competing teams as measured within a certain period of time, your team will receive “battle power” points.

Players often attach photos of their home electric meters and generally have fun with the concept of saving energy.