In less than one year, the National Mall in Washington, D.C.,
will bustle with activity as 20 student teams prepare their
solar homes for DOE’s fifth Solar Decathlon. The opening
ceremony will be held on September 22, 2011, and the event
will open to the public the following day.

While the Solar Decathlon is still a year away, the National
Solar Tour is now offering open-house tours of solar-powered
homes, businesses, and public agencies. This year, local
tours are available in all 50 states, plus the District of
Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Jalisco, Mexico.

DOE, the American Lighting Association, and the Consortium
for Energy Efficiency have announced the winners of the
Lighting for Tomorrow competition. The annual competition
recognizes the best-designed energy-efficient lighting
products for homes.

DOE is proposing a new energy efficiency standard for
residential refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers
that would decrease the energy use of these appliances by
20%-25% when it takes effect in January 2014. The agency
is accepting comments on the proposed standard until
November 26.

DOE has taken action to stop Air-Con, International, from
selling certain air conditioning systems in the United States
because they violate the minimum federal energy efficiency
standards for appliances.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced the release
of a new proposed energy efficiency standard for residential
refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers. The
standard, as proposed, could save consumers as much as $18.6
billion over thirty years.

The U.S. Department of Energy, the American Lighting
Association, and the Consortium for Energy Efficiency,
announced the winners of the eighth-annual Lighting for
Tomorrow competition.

DOE announced today that it has taken action against
Air-Con, International, requiring the company to stop
selling certain air conditioning systems in the U.S. that
have been shown to violate minimum energy efficiency
appliance standards.

DOE has selected 33 small businesses to receive $57 million
to develop manufacturing processes for the production of
their new clean energy technologies. DOE will also support
five regional efforts to accelerate the commercialization of
university-developed clean energy technologies.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
(ACEEE) has lauded 18 state-led energy efficiency programs
in 14 states for their excellence. The top five award-winning
programs were created in Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, and
New York, with the Empire State earning awards for two of its
programs.

DOE has selected six new projects to receive Recovery Act
funding as part of its Advanced Research Projects
Agency-Energy. The projects aim to develop innovative
advances in
dehumidifiers, permanent magnets, wind turbines, solar
tracking, solar thermal energy storage, and carbon capture.

DOE is proposing penalties against 27 companies selling
products in the United States without certifying that those
products comply with energy efficiency or water conservation
standards. Unless companies address these claims within 30
days, DOE will file actions to demand payment of the
penalties.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced $57
million, including nearly $11 million under the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to support clean energy
technology commercialization projects for 33 small
businesses across the country.

DOE today announced 27 new proposed penalties against
companies selling products in the United States without
certifying that they comply with energy efficiency or water
conservation standards.

Vice President Biden has announced that 200,000 low-income
homes have been weatherized under the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act, saving families money, conserving
energy, and helping put thousands to work.