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Energy Savings
"Energy savings" is an umbrella term for the narrower but related concepts of energy efficiency and energy conservation.
Energy conservation is the term used for efforts to reduce energy consumption through more efficient energy use and decreased energy consumption from conventional (non-renewable) energy sources.[1]
Energy conservation is the efficient use of energy, without necessarily curtailing the services that energy provides. Conservation occurs when societies develop efficient technologies that reduce energy needs. Environmental concerns, such as acid rain and the potential for global warming, have increased public awareness about the importance of energy conservation.[2]
([1] Environmental Encyclopedia and [2] Energy: Supplies, Sustainability, and Costs, retrieved via InfoTrac® PowerSearch; this electronic resource can be accessed anywhere in the state of Massachusetts)
The 1973 oil crisis marked an important turning point in our national consciousness on a number of fronts, including the finite nature of fossil fuels, the problem of energy waste, and the importance of finding and devising new energy sources and solutions. Beginning as a matter of political urgency and cost effectiveness, in recent years energy efficiency and conservation have also come to be touted for their environmental advantages.
Print Resources
Our library has a number of books on the subject of energy savings. Start with the list of titles we own below. You can also use our library catalog to search and reserve other books, to be brought in from other MVLC libraries. Click here for a system-wide selection of books that list energy conservation as a subject. Use the books you like to find additional helpful subject headings, such as ecological houses, insulation, sustainable architecture, sustainable buildings, and more.
If I had a Hammer: More Than |
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| Cut Your Energy Bills Now Bruce, Harley 644 HAR |
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The Carbon Buster's Home Energy |
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| Save Energy and Cut Your Bills White, Nick 644 WHI |
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| The Complete Guide To Alternative Home Building Materials & Methods Nunan, Jon 690.8 NUN |
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| Green From the Ground Up:
Sustainable, Healthy, and Energy-efficient Home Construction Johnston, David 690.837 JOH |
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| Residential Windows: A Guide To New Technologies and Energy Performance Carmody, John 690.1823 RES |
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| Your Green Abode: A Practical Guide To a Sustainable Home Miner, Tara Rae 690.8047 MIN |
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| Do-It-Yourself Home Energy Audits Findley, David S. 696 FIN |
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| Toward a Zero Energy Home: A Complete Guide To Energy Self-Sufficiency At Home Johnston, David 696 JOH |
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| How Hybrid Cars Work Swanson, Jennifer J 629.222 SWA |
Be sure to check all of the Print and Media Resources that have been purchased with funds from the How Green Is My Library? grant.
Spotlighted Electronic Resource
Use the Home Improvement Collection to find out more about saving energy in the home. This link should work anywhere in the state of Massachusetts. Once in, just type your search term into the search engine. If you start to type the word energy, Search Assist will immediately begin supplying possible searches like energy efficiency, energy saving, and energy conservation. You have the option of making Keyword, Subject, Publication Title and Entire Document searches; you can also restrict your results to documents with full text, peer-reviewed publications, and/or documents with images.
Once you have submitted your initial search, the left sidebar will provide you with the option of specific content types: Magazines (the default), Academic Journals, and so forth. You can also view potentially pertinent subjects: for example, the HVAC industry, Lighting equipment industry, and so forth.
You can also use this collection to research architectural techniques, building design, decorating, interior and exterior painting, roofing, small project management tips, tool and material selection, zoning requirements and more.
Home Improvement is a Gale InfoTrac® collection and is great for targeted searching within that area; however, if you want, you can also use InfoTrac® PowerSearch to search multiple Gale collections in a single search.
For more possibilities, visit our Electronic Resources With A Green Focus.
Past Events
Do you want a refresher on a program you attended, |
Sally Zimmerman, Manager of Historic Preservation Services at Historic New England, presented Energy Retrofits and the Historic Home: Weighing Risk and Opportunities on February 29th. This valuable program focused on improvements to older houses without damaging historic fabric. Sally provided an historic preservation perspective on insulation, window repair, air sealing, and renewable energy options in the historic home.
On March 6, Alison Hardy of Window Woman of New England presented on Repair of Wooden Windows. Alison was featured in This Old House and the New York Times. An expert on repair and restoration of wooden windows, her philosophy is "Save Energy, Save Money, Save History: Restoration not Replacement."
Tina Woolston, Director of the Office of Sustainability at Tufts University, presented The Climate Reality Project on Wednesday, May 30th. Founded and chaired by Al Gore and with over five million members and supporters worldwide, the Project "is guided by one simple truth: the climate crisis is real and we know how to solve it."
Brought To You By...
This project is being funded through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners with funds from LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act), a Federal source of library funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Return to Special Projects >> Go Green at Hamilton-Wenham
Modified 10/10/2011
