What Is Energy Efficiency?
Energy efficiency: using less energy to provide the same service or maintain the same level of comfort. Improvements in energy efficiency are most often achieved by adopting a more efficient technology or process. For example:
• Insulating a home allows it to use less energy maintain a comfortable temperature.
• Installing compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or LEDs reduces the amount of energy required to achieve the same level of illumination compared to incandescent light bulbs. CFLs use 75% less energy and last 6 to 10 times longer than standard incandescent light bulbs. [1]
Energy conservation: refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. For example:
• Turning off the lights to save energy or using natural light during the day instead of turning on light fixtures.
• Taking a shower instead of a bath because a short shower uses less water than a bath does.
• Drying your clothes on a clothesline outside instead of using your dryer.
The Benefits
Three key benefits of reducing your energy use through energy efficiency and energy conservation include:
1. Reducing Energy Demand: by using less energy you reduce energy demand and the need for new power plants.
2. Saving Money: every energy efficiency improvement you make or energy conservation action you take saves energy, which saves you money on your energy bills.
3. Reducing Environmental Impact: Most energy is created by the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). The burning of fossil fuels create greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change and environmental degradation. Your environmental impact is reduced when you use less energy because less greenhouse gas emissions are produced.
