Domains and URLs
This page describes the requirements for obtaining different types of domains and URLs. All EERE program and partnership Web sites must comply with the Department of Energy (DOE), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the EERE domain policies.
For questions regarding these policies, or questions about using EERE domains or URLs for your programs, partnerships, or applications, please contact Sarah Lynch.
EERE Web Site URLs
EERE program and partnership Web sites must choose one of the following approved domains for their page. All domains must be approved by Sarah Lynch before any other steps are taken. For examples of approved URLs, see a complete list of EERE's unique URLs.
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Eere.energy.gov: The majority of all EERE Web sites should be hosted on eere.energy.gov. This is the standard domain for projects associated with EERE. It is expected that most sites will use both the EERE.energy.gov domain and the EERE site template.
Example URL: eere.energy.gov/consumer
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Energy.gov: To aid with the marketing and promotion of EERE program activities and initiatives, EERE has provided energy.gov domains for all top-level EERE programs. These shortened URLS encourage the programs to publicize their high priority initiatives on their home pages, reducing the need for multiple URL registrations and management. These are alias URLs which redirect to http://www.eere.energy.gov/ domains. The EERE Web Manager and the DOE domain manager oversee the technical implementation of all energy.gov URLs.
Example URL: biofuels.energy.gov
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Top Level .GOV: Top level .gov sites are reserved for federal agencies. At DOE, these domains are approved only for initiatives that are publicly announced by the Secretary of Energy, and are therefore considered departmental initiatives. Examples include Presidential initiatives and inter-agency partnerships. The URL must be requested by the program director through the EERE Web Enterprise manager and the DOE domain manager, using the format described in DOE's Domain Name Policy. The EERE Web Manager and DOE domain manager oversee the technical implementation of all .gov URLs.
Example URL: energysmartschools.gov
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.ORG: Non-government domains are available only for sites that are not part of a federal agency, are not funded by the DOE, or are developed through significant partnership arrangements. Special approval is required for these sites. Provide the EERE Web Manager with a description of the site so a justification can be prepared and submitted to DOE's federal domain name manager for approval.
Example URL: dsireusa.org
If you would like more information about acquiring domains for your site, read the OMB Policy 6: Use Approved Domains.
Partnership Site URLs
We recognize that some EERE sites are the result of partnerships with other organizations. Here are the options for partnership subsites:
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Use www.eere.energy.gov as part of your domain name, and go into the EERE template. Generally, when EERE funding represents 51% or more of the partnership budget, it is expected that the site will use the EERE template and be registered as an EERE Web site.
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Use a unique URL (i.e. www.energystar.gov). If you choose to use a unique URL, we would prefer that you do NOT incorporate any part of EERE's blue and green graphical look into your design. This will help us help us maintain the integrity of the EERE identity.
Partnership sites should reside on the main EERE server. Please work with the Web Governance Team to determine whether your partnership site belongs in the EERE template.
Database and Application URLs
If your database or application needs a URL that doesn't follow one of these standards, please contact the Web Template Coordinator.