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Could using humor as a marketing strategy make energy efficiency a bit more digestible? One Illinois grant recipient thinks it could be.

Say what you want about the joys of Jack Frost nipping at your nose, but when it comes to winter wonderlands, I like mine outdoors. Etching icy messages on the insides of my windows is not exactly cozy. Therefore, I'm thankful for technology that provides an efficient and effective barrier from inclement weather.

More than 750 thousand homes were weatherized by the Department’s Weatherization Assistance Program in the past three years. Secretary Chu spoke with governors and members of Congress around the country to celebrate this huge accomplishment -- which was finished ahead of schedule and is saving the average household $400 annually on their heating and cooling bills.

750 thousand homes have been weatherized over the past three years through the Department's Weatherization Assistance Program, saving families $400 a year on their heating and cooling bills.

Air duct system leaks cost Americans $5 billion every year. A simple mist now on the market -- developed by Berkeley Lab -- can seal thousands of leaks in 4 to 8 hours, saving a home owner on average $600 to $850 a year.

How did the Climate and Energy Project (CEP), a small environmental organization that has received Recovery Act funding, achieve $2.3 million in savings annually for Kansans? Learn more about the Take Charge Challenge, a 9-month competition in which residents across 16 communities competed against each other to save the most energy and money.

Tonight, ghosts, ghouls and goblins emerge to walk the streets and inspire scares, but while they’re out seeking sustenance (mostly in the form of fun-sized candy bars), an actual terror may be in your home, leeching off your energy supply.

The unique internal construction of the gas-filled panels developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California are as effective barriers to heat as its pink fibrous counterparts with less material in less space. To improve the panel’s thermal performance the panels can be inflated with compressed inert gas, like argon, xenon or krypton, which doesn’t heat as easily as air.

The University of Maryland's “WaterShed” won the 2011 Solar Decathlon. The school from College Park, Maryland competed against 18 other collegiate teams to build an aesthetically pleasing, architecturally innovative and well-engineered energy efficient living space that generates its energy from solar power.

Secretary Chu visited the 2011 Solar Decathlon to hear from students about their energy-efficient, solar powered homes. Watch the video!

Clouds, rain, thunderstorms… at Solar Decathlon Village? Oh my, you may say. But less-than-ideal weather conditions are no match for this year's teams, thanks to smart grid technology that is helping them monitor their energy consumption.

Two teams tied for first place in the first-ever Affordability Contest at the 2011 Solar Decathlon -- demonstrating that innovative technology doesn’t have to be expensive.