Home Energy Savings
From the Department of Energy:
The Home Energy Assessment: Measuring "MPG" For Your Home
by Kathleen Hogan
You may know the miles per gallon your car gets, but have you ever wanted to know the miles per gallon your home gets?
[On Nov. 9], Vice President Biden and Secretary Chu launched the Home Energy Score program to help consumers save money by saving energy. The program is kicking off in ten pilot locations across the nation.
The Home Energy Score is like a miles per gallon rating – but for your home. It summarizes a home’s energy performance on a simple 10-point scale – with a 10 for the top performers, or those that keep the home comfortable with the least amount of energy. The score also comes with a report that recommends customized home energy upgrades and estimates the savings possible from those improvements. Over the next several months, cities like Omaha, Nebraska and Minneapolis, Minnesota will run pilot tests of the Home Energy Score, helping participating homeowners save money by cutting energy costs. After the pilots wrap up, we will refine the program before it rolls out across the nation later in 2011. Then, in one simple, short visit from a qualified specialist, you'll be able to get custom advice on how you can cut your energy bills – in many cases by hundreds of dollars each year.
But don’t wait to start saving. Visit energysavers.gov (http://www.energysavers.gov/) for tips on upgrading your home, lighting, or appliances – things you can do now.
For more details on the Home Energy Score, watch the following video with Acting Under Secretary for Energy, Cathy Zoi.
Acting Under Secretary Cathy Zoi talks about the new Home Energy Score pilot program that was announced by Vice President Biden and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu. The Home Energy Score will offer homeowners straightforward, reliable information about their homes' energy efficiency. A report provides consumers with a home energy score between 1 and 10, and shows them how their home compares to others in their region. The report also includes customized, cost-effective recommendations that will help to reduce their energy costs and improve the comfort of their homes.
Recovery Through Retrofit
Vice President Joe Biden announces three new initiatives that will help grow the energy-efficiency industry and help families make improvements that will help save money on their energy bills.
Sample home energy score: http://www.eere.energy.gov/...
Fact sheet: http://www.whitehouse.gov/...
Supporting our veterans and military families
Veterans Day in South Korea
President Obama honors those who served and emphasizes his Administration's commitment to our veterans as he observes Veterans Day at the U.S. Army Garrison Youngsan in Seoul, South Korea.
Office of the Press Secretary, November 10, 2010:
Remarks by the President Honoring Veterans Day in Seoul, South Korea
.... Now, on this day, we honor every man and woman who has ever worn the uniform of the United States of America. We salute fallen heroes, and keep in our prayers those who are still in harm’s way -– like the men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. (Hoaa!)
We recall acts of uncommon bravery and selflessness. But we also remember that honoring those who’ve served is about more than the words we say on Veterans Day or Memorial Day. It’s about how we treat our veterans every single day of the year. It’s about making sure they have the care they need and the benefits that they’ve earned when they come home. It’s about serving all of you as well as you’ve served the United States of America.
This has been one of my highest priorities since taking office. It’s why I asked for one of the largest increases in the VA budget in the past 30 years. It’s why we’ve dramatically increased funding for veterans’ health care. It’s why we’re improving care for wounded warriors, especially those with Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury. It’s why we’re working to eliminate the backlog at the VA and reforming the entire process with electronic claims and medical records. It’s why there are fewer homeless veterans on the streets than there were two years ago. (Hoaa!)
That's why there are nearly 400,000 veterans and their families who are going to college because of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. (Hoaa!) (Applause.)
So I want all of you to know when you come home your country is going to be there for you. That is the commitment I make to you as Commander-in-Chief. That is the sacred trust between the United States of America and all who defend its ideals....
Real change comes slowly. Many people don’t live to see the difference they’ve made in the lives of others. But for the men and women who have served on this peninsula, all you have to do is look around. Whether you’re a veteran who landed in 1950 or one of the Yongsan troops today, the security you’ve provided has made possible one of the great success stories of our time....
Because the Korean War ended where it began geographically, some ended up using the phrase "Die for a Tie" to describe the sacrifices of those who fought here. But as we look around in this thriving democracy and its grateful, hopeful citizens, one thing is clear: This was no tie. This was victory. (Hoaa!) (Applause.)
This was a victory then, and it is a victory today. And 60 years later, a friendship that was forged in a war has become an alliance that has led to greater security and untold progress -- not only in the Republic of Korea, but throughout Asia. That is something that everyone here can be extraordinarily proud of.
Now, it’s also a reminder of what still lies on the other side of the 38th Parallel. Today, the Korean Peninsula provides the world’s clearest contrast between a society that is open and a society that is closed; between a nation that is dynamic and growing, and a government that would rather starve its people than change. It’s a contrast that’s so stark you can see it from space, as the brilliant lights of Seoul give way to the utter darkness of the North.
This is not an accident of history. This is a direct result of the path that’s been taken by North Korea -- a path of confrontation and provocation; one that includes the pursuit of nuclear weapons and the attack on the Cheonan last March.
And in the wake of this aggression, Pyongyang should not be mistaken: The United States will never waver in our commitment to the security of the Republic of Korea. We will not waver. (Huaa!) (Applause.)....
At the Korean War Memorial in Washington, there’s a plaque right near the inscription that lists the number of Americans who were killed, wounded, missing in action, and held as prisoners of war. And it says: "Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met."
A country they never knew and a people they never met. I know of no better words to capture the selflessness and generosity of every man or woman who has ever worn the uniform of the United States of America. At a time when it has never been more tempting or accepted to pursue narrow self-interest and personal ambition, all of you here remind us that there are few things that are more fundamentally American than doing what we can to make a difference in the lives of others...
http://www.whitehouse.gov/...
White House video:
Vice President Joe Biden Honors Veterans Day at Arlington Cemetery
Vice President Joe Biden visits Arlington National Cemetery to honor Veterans Day. The Vice President laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, spoke with Veterans and Military Families at the Memorial Amphitheater, as well as visiting Section 60 of the cemetery.
Tuesday Talks: Veterans Day
Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs Tammy Duckworth answers your questions on the Administration's commitment to support service members and their families.
From WhiteHouse.gov:
The Recovery Act provides the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with more than $1.4 billion to improve services to America’s Veterans
◦The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) enables the VA to improve medical facilities and national cemeteries, provide grants to assist states in acquiring or constructing state nursing homes and extended care facilities, and to modify or alter existing facilities to care for Veterans.
◦VA will dedicate ARRA funds to hire and train 1,500 temporary claims processors to speed benefits delivery to Veterans and pursue needed information technology initiatives for improved benefits and services. Funds will also be used to oversee and audit programs, grants, and projects funded under ARRA.
◦As part of the President’s Recovery plan, VA will also make one-time payments of $250 to eligible Veterans and survivors to mitigate the effects of the current economy. These payments will be issued as early as June 2009. VA estimates $700 million in payments will be made to eligible beneficiaries as part of this measure.
The President announced the Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Initiative. Both the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs will work together to define and build a system that will ultimately contain administrative and medical information from the day an individual enters military service throughout their military career, and into the Veteran phase of life....
http://www.whitehouse.gov/...
Department of Veterans Affairs:
This is the second ad in VA's National Veterans Awareness Campaign. The campaign is intended to make Veterans and their families aware of the VA benefits to which they may be entitled.
A town hall in Mumbai
For background on the President's trip to Asia to support the National Export Initiative, go here: http://www.dailykos.com/...
Town Hall with Students in Mumbai
President Obama takes questions from students as he and First Lady Michelle Obama host a town hall meeting in Mumbai, India. November 7, 2010.
Remarks by the President and the First Lady in Town Hall with Students in Mumbai, India
MRS. OBAMA:
.... Just yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to visit an organization called Make A Difference. It’s an amazing program designed and run by young adults who recruit other young people, outstanding college students like themselves, to mentor and teach children who, as the founder said, haven’t had the same chances in life as many of the mentors have had.
These young volunteers understand and believe in something very simple, that all children, regardless of their circumstances, deserve the same chance to get educated and to build productive and successful lives. And I know that many of you here today are doing equally important work in your communities and your schools -- everything from holding camps for kids in need to teaching computer literacy skills, to finding new ways to conserve energy.
And let me tell you, this work is amazing, and it is vitally important. And that is why, as First Lady, I have tried my best to engage young people not just in the United States but around the world, letting them know that we believe in them, but more importantly, that we need them. We need you. We need you to help solve the great challenges of our time.
And that's also why when my husband travels abroad, he doesn’t just meet with heads of state in parliaments and in palaces. He always meets with young people like all of you. That's why he’s been working to expand educational exchanges and partnerships between the United States, India, and countries around the world.
Right now, more Indian students like you come to study in the United States than from any other country. And I'm proud to see that so many American students are doing the same thing right here in India, building the types of friendships and relationships that will last a lifetime. Our hope is to provide more Indian and American young people with these types of opportunities to continue to connect and share ideas and experiences.
And finally, my husband is also working to encourage young entrepreneurs everywhere to start businesses, to improve the health of our communities and to empower our young women and girls because it is never too late or too early to start changing this world for the better.
So I want to end today by congratulating you all -- congratulating you on everything you do. We are so proud of you. I want to encourage you to keep dreams -- keep dreaming big huge, gigantic dreams -- not just for yourselves, but for your communities and for our world....
THE PRESIDENT:
.... In this country of more than a billion people, more than half of all Indians are under 30 years old....
So now the future of this country is in your hands. And before I take your questions, I want you to consider three questions I have for you -- questions about what the next 20 years will bring. First, what do you want India to look like in 20 years? Nobody else can answer this question but you. It’s your destiny to write. One of the great blessings of living in a democracy is that you can always improve the democracy. As our Founding Fathers wrote in the United States, you can always forge a more perfect union.
But if you look at India’s last 20 years, it’s hard not to see the future with optimism. You have the chance to lift another several hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, grow even more this enormous middle class that can fuel growth in this country and beyond. You have the chance to take on greater responsibilities on the global stage while playing a leading role in this hugely important part of the world.
And together with the United States, you can also seize the opportunities afforded by our times: the clean energy technologies that can power our lives and save our planet; the chance to reach new frontiers in outer space; the research and development that can lead to new industry and a higher standard of living; the prospect of advancing the cause of peace and pluralism in our own countries but also beyond our borders.
Which brings me to a second question. Twenty years from now, what kind of partnership do you want to have with America? Just before I came to speak to all of you today, I visited two expos right in another courtyard here that underscore the kind of progress we can make together. The first focused on agriculture and food security, and I was able to see innovations in technology and research, which are transforming Indian farming....
And tomorrow, I will be discussing with Prime Minister Singh how we can advance the cooperation in the 21st century -- not only to benefit India, not only to benefit the United States, but to benefit the world. India can become a model for countries around the world that are striving for food security....
So even as we do not impose any system of government on other countries, we, especially young people, must always speak out for those human rights that are universal, and the right of people everywhere to make their own decisions about how to shape their future, which will bring me to my final question, and then you guys can start sending questions my way.
How do you -- how do each of you want to make the world a better place? Keep in mind that this is your world to build, your century to shape. And you’ve got a powerful example of those who went before you. Just as America had the words and deeds of our Founding Fathers to help chart a course towards freedom and justice and opportunity, India has this incredible history to draw on, millennia of civilization, the examples of leaders like Gandhi and Nehru....
You have that power within you. You, too, must embody those principles. For even within this time of great progress, there are great imperfections, the injustice of oppression, the grinding punishment of poverty, the scourge of violent extremism and war. King and Gandhi made it possible for all of us to be here today -- me as a President, you as a citizen of a country that's made remarkable progress. Now you have the opportunity and the responsibility to also make this planet a better place.
And as you do, you’ll have the friendship and partnership of the United States, because we are interested in advancing those same universal principles that are as inescapable as the law of gravitation....
http://www.whitehouse.gov/...
Update [2010-11-12 17:51:17 by Kat 4 Obama]: I have added a Nov. 12 White House video showing the Vice President at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day. Also, for the complete wreath-laying ceremony, go to C-SPAN: http://www.c-span.org/...