Fall weather and cooler temperatures naturally turn thoughts to heating homes and changing energy usage. While analysts predict an increase in natural gas prices, you might wonder: is this the year you should finally insulate the attic? What about LED bulbs – are they the real deal? Your neighbor just installed solar panels – does it make sense for you? Where does our electricity come from anyway?
Colorado State University Extension’s new Your Energy website was just launched, with these questions in mind.
Another website, you say? What makes Your Energy different is that it brings together unbiased, research-based information from Colorado’s land-grant university with practical, down-to-earth advice so you don’t have to try to sort energy fact from fiction.
“We hope that when one hears the name ‘Your Energy’, it directly conveys meaning and a sense of empowerment for individuals to make their own energy decisions,” said CSU Extension Energy Specialist Cary Weiner. “We want Your Energy to become the go-to resource for Coloradans with energy questions and that we can live up to our slogan: ‘Energy questions – answered.’”
A prominent feature of the site is CSU Extension’s fact sheets, which have been broken into a manageable FAQ format, making the information you need easy to find and relatable. The site also has 10 energy calculators to help you figure out whether new insulation, lighting, solar panels, and other energy investments make sense financially. In addition, the website has videos and other media to show you how to find air leaks, measure your insulation levels, and more.
“We made the switch from the typical CSU Extension-oriented website to Your Energy after careful analysis of consumer need,” Weiner said. “Your Energy is dedicated to providing practical, research-based information to consumers, pure and simple, and because we are proud of the energy programming and other resources offered by Extension, we didn’t want to use the site for self-promotion. It is a dedicated resource for the Colorado consumer – no strings attached.”
