Delawareans can save energy and money and at the same time boost the state’s economy. DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara and Twitter can help.

Delaware’s #EnergizeDE Twitter Chat, hosted by DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara, will take place Wednesday July 13th from 7:00- 8:00pm. Secretary O’Mara will be tweeting from the @YourDNREC account (love the bio: Explore beyond the door with an adventure enthusiast and natural resource advocate at DNREC), answering questions and providing information about energy efficiency solutions offered through the state’s nonprofit Energize Delaware and the Delaware Energy Office.

How it works

To join the discussion, Delawareans just need to use their Twitter account & follow the discussion through the #EnergizeDE hashtag. (If you’re a complete newbie, you’ll need to open an account on Twitter and then enter #EnergizeDE into the search box, periodically refreshing the page for updates.)
Questions can be tweeted @YourDNREC before or during the one-hour online conversation.

To keep the conversation focused, the hour-long chat will be divided into three 20-minute segments devoted to common energy challenges:

First 20 minutes: How much is your monthly energy bill? Tweet your average monthly bill and let’s see what the range is and how it compares to the national average. The highest tweet (with verification) will receive a free energy audit.

Second 20 minutes: Share your most frustrating comfort issues. Tweet about thermostat fights. Tweet about hot and cold guest bedrooms above the garage. Why is one level so much hotter than the other and what can be done? Does your business use a lot of lighting, refrigeration, or other energy-intensive equipment? Possible solutions will be discussed.

Third 20 minutes: Have you had a home energy makeover? Share your experiences and advice and Secretary O’Mara will tweet links to useful resources.

I don’t live in Delaware anymore (although I’m literally in stone’s throw distance) but I’ll still keep an eye on the Twitter stream. Delaware takes government-supported energy efficiency and sustainability in general fairly seriously, and I’m interested to see not only what info gets put out there, but who shows up and what level of eco-responsibility they represent. Of course, when you’re talking Twitter you’re already out of the realm of “typical homeowner,” but frankly I have no clue how one would go about having this sort of real-time engaged conversation about local energy for the masses.

Anyway. Recap:

Wednesday July 13th from 7:00- 8:00pm, on Twitter, tweet your questions to @YourDNREC and follow with hashtag #EnergizeDE.

Here’s a list of ways we save money and energy… looks like I need to update with more recent changes.

Have you taken steps towards energy efficiency? For the earth’s sake, for your wallet’s sake, or both?

Let me know the best money-saving or obscure practice you’ve found.