“The best economic development plan for our communities just might be spending money on energy efficiency improvements.”
Environmental Benefits
An important shift has taken place in the last few years. After a short surge in popularity in the 1970's due to the oil crises, energy conservation is once again going mainstream. One of the main reasons for this is an increasing awareness of our contribution to global climate change. It is thought that the main culprit behind climate change is our consumption of fossil fuels.
In the U.S. we meet 85% of our energy needs by burning fossil fuels. Most scientists agree that our energy consumption is warming the planet by a process known as the greenhouse gas effect. Consumption of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere contributing to the greenhouse gas effect. Rather than decreasing, world greenhouse gas emmissions are increasing at a rate of 2% annually.
So where is all of this fossil fuel being used? In the U.S. we make up about 5% of the world's population, but we use 25% of its energy supplies. 40% of our total energy usage is from buildings. Of that 40%, half is used by residential buildings. In other words... our homes.
Annually, the energy used by a typical home releases about 20,000 pounds of carbon dioxide. The benefits we receive from this consumption has repercussions for the environment. Harmful byproducts such as carbon dioxide, acid rain and radioactive waste are released into the environment. These pollutants are a worldwide cause of respiratory disease, environmental sensitivities and neurological disorders.
By applying simple efficiency measures we can easily lighten our impact on the planet. Our energy consumption also produces some undesirable economic side effects. About 50% of the oil we use is imported. Importing oil contributes to 25% of our annual budget deficit. Our dependence on oil imports dominates our foreign policy and has incurred expensive military campaigns around the world.
Energy efficiency measures can help reduce our dependence on foreign supplies of oil. Nuclear energy as an alternative is expensive. It has required large government subsidies to make it affordable for the consumer. Additionally, radioactive waste is a serious problem with environmental, economic and political consequences.
Everyone who owns a home is aware of the instability in today's financial markets. Fortunately every dollar spent on energy efficiency adds value and long term savings to your home. Money saved on utility bills means more discretionary income. The best economic development plan for our communities just might be spending money on energy efficiency improvements.
Energy efficiency can bridge the gap between our present era of unsustainable energy usage, and a future in which renewable energy supplies our needs. If we are to maintain our high standards of comfort and convenience, we must prepare the path to renewables with a focus on energy efficiency.
