Energy Efficiency: America’s Best Kept Climate-Fighting Secret
by Stacy Feldman - May 20th, 2008
in
It’s not the sexiest climate fix in the world, it must be said. But energy efficiency works -- and now come the numbers to prove it.
For the first time ever, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has tallied all the money invested in US energy efficiency to get a quantitative picture of just how big the efficiency market is.
And you won’t believe what it found.
Since 1970, energy efficiency has contributed more value to the US economy than any conventional energy resource, meeting 75 percent of all of the nation's new energy demands.
In 2004 alone (the "historical test-year" for the study), $300 billion was pumped into efficiency technologies and infrastructure -- three times the amount invested in America’s traditional energy supply.
Those dollars generated 1.6 million US jobs. That's huge, especially when you consider that the US coal industry employs just 80,000 -- and shrinking.
The best nugget of all? Efficiency saved America 1.7 quadrillion BTUs of energy that year -- equivalent to the power required to run 40 mid-sized coal-fired plants.
Meanwhile, US consumers saved nearly $20 billion in energy costs. And 81 million metric tons of CO2 emissions were averted.
Sure sounds like a sizable solution to the twin challenges of energy and climate change, no?
Yep. But if you don't know anything about it, don’t worry. No one does. Apparently.
And that’s where the good news turns to gloom.
Energy efficiency -- perhaps the most cost-effective "fuel" and climate solution on Earth -- is so invisible and underappreciated in America that it’s in serious danger of missing out on needed future investments.
So warns ACEEE.
And that would be a real loss. Because the US has only begun to scratch the surface of the potential savings that efficiency investments can deliver.
In short, from the report:
The evidence suggests that efficiency can make an even larger contribution towards stabilizing energy prices and reducing greenhouse gas emissions – should we choose to fully develop it.
In other words: America, wake up and smell the efficiency solution. Choose it!
Why not? ACEEE says the nation could cost-effectively reduce energy consumption by an additional 25 to 30 percent or more over the course of the next 20 to 25 years.
Now, to get there the market would need to grow to $700 billion a year. A feasible task with wise, sure-fire investments, the study claims.
From where we sit, ACEEE has delivered a big fat report full of 60 pages of hope for our energy future, not unlike the powerful McKinsey report before it.
Have a look for yourself at the full study (pdf).
And perhaps you'll see what we do.
Efficiency -- the energy we don't use -- isn't as visible or even as romantic as a wind turbine or a solar farm, but it too is a vital, undeveloped clean energy source, with a big potential to help solve climate change.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Energy Efficiency in Cars
We crack most of a barrel of oil into gasoline, an expensive process, then we mix in costly anti-knock additives, poisons, then we sell it at the pumps to spark ignition low compression low efficiency engined cars. First we should switch to Diesels - they are more efficient by design - they give more miles per gallon of fuel than gas engines do. Next we should realize that diesels do not require anti-knock compounds - no additives costs less! Next we should get diesel for Less! not More! at the pumps because it refines much cheaper and easier - the refiners are f**king diesel people for millions right now! and we all know it - its in most college texts - its not a secret! If America switched to European style high speed diesels as found in BMW's and VW's, Mercedes, Citroen's, Nissan's, Austin's and Audi's in Europe we could cut our consumption by One Quarter!
P.S. The engines could be built under license by domestics, a boost they need right now!
thermal energy storage patents available for licensing
6,857,278 They are for "PROCESSES" and unload the power grid through
demand shifting.
7,222,492 Plastic injection molding, pasteurization, meat lockers, and
7,356,997 specifically claims the same principle for cooling buildings.
We need companies who wish to license these and DO it.
Energy Efficiency better than alternative energy
This article is so true and I wish more people would wake up to this fact. I see and hear so many people asking about solar panels and wind turbines for their huge, inefficient homes and I just shudder. Although alternative energy is a good thing, it is ALWAYS best to first increase the efficiency of your home and then and only then look into alternative energy.
Here is a good rule of thumb: For every dollar you spend towards energy efficiency, you will save 4 on alternative energy. In other words, energy efficient renovations are cheaper and the payback is quicker, so you will get your biggest bang for your buck by investing in energy efficiency.
Check out these Energy Efficiency Packages!
Post new comment