INDEX :

Introduction to the site

How to use this site most effectively

Operating Principles

Coming soon. . .

Important Notice

Introduction

A sustainable society is one that satisfies its needs without diminishing the prospects of future generations to satisfy their needs. The rate at which we are using our energy resources is clearly not sustainable. The pollution created from burning fossil fuels causes global warming, threatening both the environment and the economy. And we waste about half the energy we use, considering cost effective solutions now available!

The Energy Guy web site is determined to bring you more substantive information regarding energy technologies, including those that are "very important but poorly understood, and/or used." For example, to come up to speed on important energy-related issues most people aren't aware of - but are fundamentally important to know about if you care about a sustainable future, check out the energy issues page; it covers things like climate change, transportation, energy supply and demand, and the politics of energy - all with just a few minutes of your time!

The pages within this site are intended to help people understand the issues as well as how to find and implement more sustainable ways to use energy in their lives. Most of the content and links available on this site can be accessed through one or more of the three major sections shown below (from the main page).

The Energy Solutions section covers a wide range of energy solutions with links to both information as well as products & services. Because the best solutions for any given project must take into account the needs of your specific project as well as your location, sorting through these many choices could take a lot of time for a novice. Fortunately, whether you know what is best to fit your needs or not, the Products and Services sections will help. They provides access to energy products of all sorts as well as energy professionals; they are generally in the best position to help you make the best choices. If you are searching for information on an energy related topic, Master Links provides a gateway to substantive sources of information, as well as other key sites on the Web covering such topics as green power transportation, sustainable living, utility restructuring, weather, and more!

In addition to these three major sections, a variety of other pages are listed on the left hand side of the main page. These pages include important energy related information that people need to know about in order to appreciate "The Big Picture," such as -

Climate Change; A Summary & Links To "Pro" & "Con" Viewpoints
Subsidies; The Part Of Your Energy Bill You Pay In Taxes
Externalities; More Energy Costs Not Included On Your Energy Bill
Financing; Financial Assistance For Your Energy Projects

Not wanting to "re-invent the wheel," this site provides many link(s) to other sites when the information necessary is already available. In other cases, such as solar water heating, crucial information is difficult to impossible to find anywhere, internet or otherwise, thus the large volume of pages devoted to it here. Solar water heating specific pages include solar reliability information, repair and replacement cost estimates, a page of solar collector mounting option photos (recently added another page here!), and a page devoted to the SRCC (Solar Rating & Certification Corporation). The SRCC certifies collectors, systems and provides comparable performance ratings. And last but not least, the economic analysis example page in the Professional Tools section includes a sample economic analysis of a passive and active system with either gas or electric auxiliary heaters versus gas or electric auxiliary heaters alone.

How To Use This Site Most Effectively

To use this site most effectively :

1) Wait For Page Selected To Fully Load BEFORE SELECTING LINKS. If the page is not allowed to fully load before a link is selected, a link may appear "dead." Once the page is fully loaded, you will be able to rapidly navigate all over the page, and with little to no wait. Overall, you will find this to be a much faster approach compared to other sites that use a large number of links to smaller pages.

2) Use Your Web Browser's "New Window With This Link" feature when you select a link. Hold your mouse button down (the far right button on a mouse with multiple buttons) while pointing at a link. . . . . a menu will appear that gives you the option to open a new window with that link (refer to your browser's manual or help screens for specific instructions if this does not work). By opening new windows you can go back to previous windows to browse around more, without having to wait for the page to reload over and over again!

The intent of this site is to make a wide range of quality information available with a minimum amount of time and effort. This is The Energy Guy's answer to "The World Wide Wait!" If you have any suggestions for how to improve things further along these lines, please let me know!

Web Site Operating Principles

1) Free access to everything for everyone
2) No advertising accepted
3) Provide unbiased, comprehensive coverage of a wide range of energy solutions
4) Facilitate assessment of comparative economic & environmental benefits
5) Help connect the public to energy professionals, and vice-versa
6) Deliver information to reduce time and effort needed to make smart energy choices
7) Maintain simple pages - link to more "graphic rich" pages only as needed
8) No band-width-robbing animated GIFS, audio, or video to slow things down (OK, so I've added a few on several pages - no one has complained about load times yet. . . . see if you can find them!)
9) Evolve and expand the quality of the web site through visitor feedback
10) Strive to help others achieve a more sustainable standard of living

To help assure these principles are maintained, I appreciate constructive visitor feedback regarding these pages (what you see here has benefited a lot from such feedback already!). The Energy Guy pages will be updated frequently, depending on my work schedule, so bookmark this page and visit often! If you're curious as to who I am or why I've created this site, please visit About The Energy Guy.

Coming Soon. . . . .

The Energy Solutions page provides an index of the topics covered. If the topic is covered in some way, a hyperlink will be evident (an underlined word in blue) - otherwise plain text appears as a "placeholder." If you're anxious to find out about a topic not yet covered, or even "undercovered," let us know and we'll do our best to fill in the gap! Suggestions for information and links are also appreciated!

NOTICE

These pages are not intended as a substitute for the complete advice and guidance of an experienced energy professional in your local area. Because a specific energy application may have a number of special considerations associated with the evaluation, selection, and installation of a variety of possible solutions, Professional Assistance is recommended.

Neither the developer of this site, Ray Darby, or any other contributors to the information contained within this site makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the developer of this site.

It is also important to note that the developer of this site, Ray Darby, who is employed by the California Energy Commission, is speaking soley for himself and not the California Energy Commission within the pages of this site. This site is not affiliated with the California Energy Commission and does not intend to characterize the information herein as reflecting the views or policies of the California Energy Commission.