The Department of Energy is getting into the Halloween spirit this year by publishing instructions for making five different energy-themed costumes.
As noted in the agency’s blog post:
Here at Energy.gov, we take Halloween seriously — very seriously. Maybe it has something to do with all the flickering lights (should’ve used LEDs), drafty haunted houses (terrible insulation) and broom-riding witches (very sustainable!). We thought we’d share the spirit of Energyween — or is it Halloweenergy? — with these five easy-to-make, energy-themed costumes.
The costumes are: a solar panel, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, the energy vampire, a particle accelerator, and a wind turbine.
What is an “energy vampire?” As DOE notes, “Far scarier than the stuff of Dracula or Twilight, energy vampires are home appliances and electronic devices that suck electricity even when they aren’t in use. This Halloween, unplug all the unused phone chargers in your house and attach them to yourself for a costume that will fill your friends with terror while saving you money.”
To make the costumes, one would need various household supplies. The wind turbine costume, for example, requires a foam poster board, white clothes or a sheet, scissors, and tape.
The Ernest Moniz costume is a bit simpler, however. It requires only a suit and tie, a stylish “founding father” whig, and a copy of the 348 page Quadrennial Energy Review document.
