Our guest blogger today is Stacy MacIntyre, who works in the Office of Communication at the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Did you know …
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· Renewable energy (biomass, hydropower, geothermal, solar, and wind) provides 8% of the total U.S. energy use?
· Coal is used to generate 45% of our electricity?
· The average household may have higher heating bills this winter?
If some of these questions tripped you up, you’re not alone. Energy is so much a part of everyday life that most of us feel we know something about it. But, I work at the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the facts and figures that I see every day never cease to surprise me. EIA is the statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Energy that produces policy neutral energy data and analysis. EIA collects energy data from statistical surveys of the energy industry and consumers.
EIA is celebrating two events in October:
Today is World Statistics Day!
On October 20th, EIA is celebrating the first ever World Statistics Day! 
The date, written 20.10.2010 in other parts of the world, is sponsored by the United Nations to help promote the work of statistical organizations around the world. U.S. statistical agencies will be participating at an event on the Hill, throwing parties and tooting their horns. Take a 20 question quiz to test your energy smarts!
October is Energy Awareness Month!
I bet you’re already pretty aware of gasoline prices and utility bills, but how often do you think about your role as an energy consumer? When I scold my son to close the refrigerator door, I’m thinking about my own electricity bills. I don’t tell my son that he’s helping to overload the electrical system, affecting the environment, or impacting global trade. It’s only when I step back from my role as a consumer and think about the larger picture that I can see the links between my refrigerator and my world. Check out some of EIA’s energy literacy resources to pump up your energy awareness:
· Energy Perspectives: 1949-2009 (pdf)