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Energy Conservation: Methods and Features

by: sahil | last updated: April 26, 2010
Category: Green Savings | Tags: energy, energy consumption, saving on energy, utility bills, energy bills, power consumption, power, electricity, gas, fuel, petrol, diesel

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Energy Conservation: Methods and Features

Energy conservation, as the name itself suggests, is conservation of energy in order to save money, increase the life of the source of the energy, and to bring about positive ecological changes. Energy conservation is not just limited to households but is also an aspect that is taken into account by government entities and industrial units. Since United States is the largest consumer of energy in the world, it is imperative that people and businesses along with the Government take steps in order to mitigate losses due to excessive energy use and promote energy conservation.

The United State Department of Energy (DOE) categorizes national energy in four broad sectors: transportation, residential, commercial, and industrial. Even though industrial energy conservation cannot be implemented by everyone; residential and transportation energy use can be cut down by individuals by taking direct action. In case of the transportation sector, the two oil supply crisis sparked off the inception of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFÉ) program. The aim was to increase efficiency of vehicles and also increase the fuel economy by reducing the size and the weight of the vehicles.

Together with the CAFE program, the U.S. government has attempted to support better automobile effectiveness through tax policy. Ever since 2002, taxpayers have been entitled for income tax credits for gas or electric hybrid automobiles. A “gas-guzzler” tax has been imposed on manufacturers ever since 1978 for vehicles or cars with remarkably reduced fuel economy. Although this tax remains in force, it presently produces very little revenue as general fuel economy has enhanced.

Another method of energy conservation is mitigating the expenses and the fuel consumed by commuting. Thousands of people in the United States commute to work everyday and since US is one of the largest automaker in the world; it usually implies that almost every adult has a car. The solution for this problem can be utilizing techniques such as carpooling or by availing of subsidized Public Transportation.

One more way of conserving energy by conserving fuel is adopting fuel economy maximizing behavior. This simply means that being aware how and when the vehicle consumes fuel and what can be done to reduce the consumption of energy by implementing some simple driving techniques. Some of these techniques include obeying speed limits, reducing the weight of the car, using cruise control whenever possible, and reducing the drag on the vehicle by keeping it under 50 mph.

The most important and the most essential is the energy requirement for residential purposes. Saving energy truly starts at home and energy bills can be cut down dramatically if proper methods are employed in order to mitigate losses that occur in residences. The use of CFL bulbs, using solar panels, wind energy, and proper insulation of homes can lead to significant energy consumption as well as savings. Most of the energy in homes is utilized for heating and cooling purposes. Ensuring that you use heating and cooling equipment that has an Energy star logo [provided by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)] can reduce the consumption of electricity.

There are numerous other approaches for conserving energy and using Passive Solar buildings, Net Zero Homes, and programmable thermostats can go a long way in cutting energy costs. Using the proper equipment to cover and heat the swimming pool can further reduce the amount spent towards its heating and upkeep. Simple small things that go unnoticed such as appliances on stand-by mode or unused ones which continue to operate are also major culprits as far as your energy bill is concerned. This loss due to stand-by power being un-utilized is also referred to as Phantom power or Vampire power. Ensuring that all the appliances in the home are switched off when not in use can help in cutting electricity costs.