Energy conservation

Some countries employ energy or carbon taxes to motivate energy users to reduce their consumption. Carbon taxes can motivate consumption to shift to energy sources with less emissions of carbon dioxide, such as solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity or nuclear power while avoiding cars with combustion engines, jet fuel, oil, fossil gas and coal. On the other hand, taxes on all energy consumption can reduce energy use across the board while reducing a broader array of environmental consequences arising from energy production. The state of California employs a tiered energy tax whereby every consumer receives a baseline energy allowance that carries a low tax. As usage increases above that baseline, the tax increases drastically. Such programs aim to protect poorer households while creating a larger tax burden for high energy consumers.[5]

Developing countries specifically are less likely to impose policy measures that slow carbon emissions as this would slow their economic development. These growing countries may be more likely to support their own economic growth and supporting their citizens rather than decreasing their carbon emissions.[6]

The following pros and cons of a carbon tax help one to see some of the potential effects of a carbon tax policy.[7]

Pros of Carbon Tax include:

• Making polluters pay the external cost of carbon emissions.
• Enables greater social efficiency as all citizens pay the full social cost.
• Raises revenue which can, in turn, be spent on mitigating the effects of pollution.
• Encourages firms and consumers to search for non-carbon producing alternatives (ex. solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity, or nuclear power).
• Reduces environmental costs associated with excess carbon pollution.

Cons of Carbon Tax include:

• Businesses claim higher taxes which can discourage investment and economic growth.
• A carbon tax may encourage tax evasion as firms may pollute in secret to avoid a carbon tax.
• It may be difficult to measure external costs and how much the carbon tax should truly be.
• There are administration costs in measuring pollution and collecting the associated tax.
• Firms may move production to countries in which there is no carbon tax.

Occupancy sensors can conserve energy by turning off appliances in unoccupied rooms.[8]

One of the primary ways to improve energy conservation in buildings is to perform an energy audit. An energy audit is an inspection and analysis of energy use and flows for energy conservation in a building, process or system with an eye toward reducing energy input without negatively affecting output. This is normally accomplished by trained professionals and can be part of some of the national programs discussed above. Recent development of smartphone apps enables homeowners to complete relatively sophisticated energy audits themselves.[9]

Building technologies and smart meters can allow energy users, both commercial and residential, to visualize the impact their energy use can have in their workplace or homes. Advanced real-time energy metering can help people save energy by their actions.[10]

Elements of passive solar design, shown in a direct gain application

In passive solar building design, windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer. This is called passive solar design or climatic design because, unlike active solar heating systems, it does not involve the use of mechanical and electrical devices.

The key to designing a passive solar building is to best take advantage of the local climate. Elements to be considered include window placement and glazing type, thermal insulation, thermal mass, and shading. Passive solar design techniques can be applied most easily to new buildings, but existing buildings can be retrofitted.

Businesses implementing ECMs in their commercial buildings often employ Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) experienced in energy performance contracting . This industry has been around since the 1970s and is more prevalent than ever today. The US-based organization EVO (Efficiency Valuation Organization)[11] has created a set of guidelines for ESCOs to adhere to in evaluating the savings achieved by ECMs. These guidelines are called the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP).

In the United States, suburban infrastructure evolved during an age of relatively easy access to fossil fuels, which has led to transportation-dependent systems of living. Zoning reforms that allow greater urban density as well as designs for walking and bicycling can greatly reduce energy consumed for transportation. The use of telecommuting by major corporations is a significant opportunity to conserve energy, as many Americans now work in service jobs that enable them to work from home instead of commuting to work each day.

An assortment of energy-efficient semiconductor (LED) lamps for commercial and residential lighting use. LED lamps use at least 75% less energy, and last 25 times longer, than traditional incandescent light bulbs.[12]

Homeowners implementing ECMs in their residential buildings often start with an energy audit. This is a way homeowners look at what areas of their homes are using, and possibly losing energy. Residential energy auditors are accredited by the Building Performance Institute (BPI)[13] or the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET).[14][15] Homeowners can hire a professional or do it themselves[16][17] or use a smartphone to help do an audit.[18]

Energy conservation measures are often combined into larger guaranteed Energy Savings Performance Contracts to maximize energy savings while minimizing disruption to building occupants by coordinating renovations. Some ECMs cost less to implement yet return a higher energy savings. Traditionally, lighting projects were a good example of “low hanging fruit”[19] that could be used to drive implementation of more substantial upgrades to HVAC systems in large facilities. Smaller buildings might combine window replacement with modern insulation using advanced building foams to improve energy for performance. Energy dashboard projects[20] are a new kind of ECM which relies on the behavioral change of building occupants to save energy. When implemented as part of a program, case studies (such as that for the DC Schools) report energy savings up 30%.[21] Under the right circumstances, open energy dashboards can even be implemented for free[22] to improve upon these savings even more.

Consumers are often poorly informed of the savings of energy efficient products. A prominent example of this is the energy savings that can be made by replacing an incandescent light bulb with a more modern alternative. When purchasing light bulbs, many consumers opt for cheap incandescent bulbs, failing to take into account their higher energy costs and lower lifespans when compared to modern compact fluorescent and LED bulbs. Although these energy-efficient alternatives have a higher upfront cost, their long lifespan and low energy use can save consumers a considerable amount of money.[23] The price of LED bulbs has also been steadily decreasing in the past five years due to improvements in semiconductor technology. Many LED bulbs on the market qualify for utility rebates that further reduce the price of purchase to the consumer.[24] Estimates by the U.S. Department of Energy state that widespread adoption of LED lighting over the next 20 years could result in about $265 billion worth of savings in United States energy costs.[25]

The research one must put into conserving energy is often too time consuming and costly for the average consumer when there are cheaper products and technology available using today's fossil fuels.[26] Some governments and NGOs are attempting to reduce this complexity with Eco-labels that make differences in energy efficiency easy to research while shopping.[27]

To provide the kind of information and support people need to invest money, time and effort in energy conservation, it is important to understand and link to people's topical concerns.[28] For instance, some retailers argue that bright lighting stimulates purchasing. However, health studies have demonstrated that headache, stress, blood pressure, fatigue and worker error all generally increase with the common over-illumination present in many workplace and retail settings.[29][30] It has been shown that natural daylighting increases productivity levels of workers, while reducing energy consumption.[31]

In warm climates where air conditioning is used, any household device that gives off heat will result in a larger load on the cooling system. Items such as stoves, dish washers, clothes dryers, hot water and incandescent lighting all add heat to the home. Low-power or insulated versions of these devices give off less heat for the air conditioning to remove. The air conditioning system can also improve in efficiency by using a heat sink that is cooler than the standard air heat exchanger, such as geothermal or water.

In cold climates, heating air and water is a major demand on household energy use. Significant energy reductions are possible by using different technologies. Heat pumps are a more efficient alternative to electrical resistance heaters for warming air or water. A variety of efficient clothes dryers are available, and the clothes lines requires no energy- only time. Natural-gas (or bio-gas) condensing boilers and hot-air furnaces increase efficiency over standard hot-flue models. Standard electric boilers can be made to run only at hours of the day when they are needed by means of a time switch.[32] This decreases energy use vastly. In showers, a semi-closed-loop system could be used. New construction implementing heat exchangers can capture heat from waste water or exhaust air in bathrooms, laundry and kitchens.

In both warm and cold climate extremes, airtight thermal insulated construction is the largest factor determining the efficiency of a home. Insulation is added to minimize the flow of heat to or from the home, but can be labor-intensive to retrofit to an existing home.

On a global basis energy efficiency works behind the scenes to improve our energy security, lower our energy bills and move us closer to reaching our climate goals. According to the IEA, some 40% of the global energy efficiency market is financed with debt and equity.[33] Energy Performance Investment are one financing mechanism by which ECMs can be implemented now and paid for by the savings realized over the life of the project. While all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., have statutes allowing companies to offer energy savings performance contracts, success varies because of variations in the approach, the state’s degree of involvement and other factors.[34][35] Homes and businesses are implementing energy-efficiency measures that include low-energy lighting, insulation and even high tech energy dashboards to cut bills by avoiding waste and boosting productivity.

• GA Mansoori, N Enayati, LB Agyarko (2016), Energy: Sources, Utilization, Legislation, Sustainability, Illinois as Model State, World Sci. Pub. Co., ISBN 978-981-4704-00-7
• Alexeew, Johannes; Carolin Anders and Hina Zia (2015): Energy-efficient buildings – a business case for India? An analysis of incremental costs for four building projects of the Energy-Efficient Homes Programme. Berlin/New Delhi: adelphi/TERI
• Gary Steffy, Architectural Lighting Design, John Wiley and Sons (2001) ISBN 0-471-38638-3
• Lumina Technologies, Analysis of energy consumption in a San Francisco Bay Area research office complex, for (confidential) owner, Santa Rosa, Ca. 17 May 1996
• Robb, Drew (2 June 2007). "GSA paves way for IT-based buildings – Government Computer News". Gcn.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2010.

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: How to reduce home energy usage

• bigEE – Your guide to energy efficiency in buildings
• Energy saving advice and grants for UK consumers
• Energy efficiency and renewable energy at the U.S. Department of Energy
• EnergyStar – for commercial buildings and plants
• Ulrich Hottelet: Want to Save the Earth? Pick a Clothesline, Atlantic Times, November 2007
• Energy Efficiency in Asia and the Pacific Asian Development Bank
• Energy Saving Tips Save up to $100 on power bills per year by switching off any unused appliances.