U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Communication Standards and Guidelines

Site Utilities

Example of the site utilitiesLocated on the right side of the header, the site utilities provide users with additional tools they can use to find content on each office or program site.

Rules for Developing Site Utilities

  • Every office and program page must include a search box, a link to EERE's "search help" page, a "more search options" page, and a link to EERE Information Center (other site utilities are optional). For more information on the "search help" and "more search options" pages, see the Template Code and Graphics section, or contact EERE's Search Specialist.

  • In addition to the required utilities, you may want to include content that fits within the "Site Map," "Subject Index," and "Site Name Index" content labels, and a link to hotlines specific to your program or office.

  • The utilities must be used in this order, from top to bottom: Search, Site Map, Subject Index, Site Name Index, EERE Information Center.

  • You must use the navigational labels "Search," "Site Map," "Subject Index," "Site Name Index," and "EERE Information Center" for the site utilities.

  • The site utilities must be office- or program-wide (i.e. they cannot be specific to a program section or subsite).

EERE also maintains site-wide subject and site name indexes. Read about EERE-wide index criteria.