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Energy Conservation vs. Efficiency

Posted by Elliott on Monday, March 22, 2010 · View Comments 

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On March 15, 2010 we had a great discussion in the Hohm community about energy conservation and efficiency. I believe this conversation really took off because it’s a topic that everyone can relate to since we all use energy every day — for transportation, cooking, heating and cooling rooms, manufacturing, lighting, and entertainment. Most importantly the choices we make about how we use energy — turning machines off when we’re not using them or choosing to buy energy efficient appliances — impact our environment and our lives in a very direct manner.

While related, the concepts of energy efficiency and energy conservation are not the same.

  • Energy conservation is any behavior that results in the use of less energy. Turning the lights off when you leave the room and recycling aluminum cans are both ways of conserving energy.
  • Energy efficiency is the use of less energy to perform the same function. A compact fluorescent light bulb that uses less energy than an incandescent bulb to produce the same amount of light is an example of energy efficiency. However, the decision to replace an incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent is an act of energy conservation.

So after defining theses terms which one do you think is more important to creating a sustainable life at home that can save you money and energy? Todd Cloutier had a great response to this question -

“Yes. Efficiency, once implemented, requires no additional choices to reap the rewards, while other conservation methods (usually reduction of consumption by changing personal habits) require constant reinforcement. Example: a CFL will continue to save energy, while turning off lights only works when remembered. So – while all conservation is good, built-in efficiency saves even when people cease to care.”

I like his point that efficiency can work for you even when you’re not actively taking steps. And I also think about a teacher who always drove home a point about efficiency vs. effectiveness. My teacher’s comments usually went like this “No matter how efficient your solution is you’re not effective if you’re wasting people’s resources and that includes your own.” Efficiency only means that you’ve refined a process, but that can be the least effective in producing your end result.

What do you think is THE end result that we’re collectively trying to achieve in the American energy crisis? Saving money? Time? Energy? The earth? Health?  Because regardless if an individual tries to conserve energy or become more energy efficient, there is a motivation about what makes them want to change.  Take a moment and try to identify that reasoning  for yourself and then take a step further to map out a goal and see how both energy efficiency and conversation can come into play to make your efforts as effective as possible to achieve that goal.  Let me know what you come up with! I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

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  • http://cocreatr.typepad.com CoCreatr

    Both are important, they affect your running cost (and our environmental impact) in different proportions depending on how you use the devices.

    Add in the the cost of purchase (or depreciation) and see your total cost of ownership.

    A rough estimate is a good-enough guide when voting with your money which air conditioner to buy, whether to put in better insulation, replace windows, switch the car, what have you. For example, if you throw out an old fridge that dims the lights when it starts and get a new inverter driven fridge this usually cuts its running cost in half. The new better fridge pays for itself in 7-10 years, depending on cost of electricity. So it is good investment if you plan to keep it for at least that long. Technology leaps like this are not that frequent but they do occur.

    I look at both effectiveness (do the job) and efficiency (do it for less). Count in comfort and ask the family as well, that is how I assess larger purchases and new technologies.

  • admin

    I really like your statement “(do the job) and (do it for less)” I had a similar discussion on the Microsoft Hohm Facebook Community that I manage http://blog.microsoft-hohm.com/news/10-03-22/Energy_Conservation_vs_Efficiency.aspx it’s really interesting to hear people’s thoughts on this topic. One of the reasons I wrote this post was a recommend research topic from a friend on the Jevons paradox. It simply states that when a energy resource becomes more efficient people start consuming even more than before. This is a pretty concerning issues when you look at the grand scheme of the energy crisis and the solutions that are being created. @CoCreatr give me some feedback on your thoughts of the Jevons paradox – be great to hear your opinions.

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