Energy Conservation

Energy Conservation

Jennifer Clark

University of Phoenix

Have you ever really sat down and considered the amount of energy you use each and every day? Would you be comfortable revealing this figure to an environmentalist? I decided I might be a little bit surprised with my own results so I tried to determine just how much energy I may consume on a daily basis. I started by looking around me at the energy I was currently using. What I found was an excessive amount of unnecessary waste occurring right in my own house. I took it one step further and evaluated the way I go through my work day and found even more energy being pointlessly overused by myself and many of the people I work with. I chose to make a change to attempt to avoid overusing energy. While I was devising my plan, I learned some pretty amazing things.

Our largest energy consumer is our homes, with industry and motor vehicles in a close second. While some statistics show that human energy consumption has been reduced in the last thirty years, the same statistics also tell us that it is not because of the way we are living; rather the amount of energy used has been lowered by advances in technology. A good example would be light bulbs. In 1879, the most commonly used light bulb in homes only converted ten percent of their energy into light and the other ninety into heat. Today’s fluorescent bulbs convert one hundred percent of the energy into heat (The Need Project, 2007). At the rate humans are consuming energy, we are in danger of losing some of the great resources we all count on to make our lives comfortable. New and improved appliances, vehicles, machines and other technology is helping the problem, but in order to sustain we need a long term solution. Since ninety percent of the world’s energy is coming from fossil fuels, we are going to have to get drastic (Energy Saving Now!, 2007).

Before I get into my plan, I would like to say that there does appear to be some notion of awareness, at least with larger companies and outspoken environmentalists. Our problem starts with the “average Joe”, who doesn’t realize the precious resources they are wasting by leaving every light in the house on, driving five blocks to pick up some milk at the store, or even taking that extra long shower. Humans are having a negative impact on the environment on a massive scale every day, and some may not even realize it! That being said, we have made some positive impacts on the energy crisis with the development of Hybrid vehicles, solar energy, wind power, and other sources of energy we will talk about later.

So where do we start. Over the years, the government has become increasingly involved in the energy crisis. They even implemented a plan that provides tax breaks in some states when people purchase energy efficient appliances. This clearly isn’t enough though. In order to maintain and carry on with our current lifestyles, we need to begin to use the renewable resources for the majority of our energy consumption. They are out there and they work well, but I feel some people are scared of change and may be a little bit cynical when it comes to renewable energy. It goes back to the old adage, “If it is not broken, do not fix it”. I believe the majority of the world’s population is naÐ"Їve to the energy emergency we may be about to have, and since they don’t feel the strain on a day to day basis, they do not worry about it as often as they should. That brings me to the first step in my plan; educate.

Realistically speaking, we cannot expect people to change the way they live, or spend extra hard earned money on more efficient ways to live if they are not educated about the benefits they will reap. As I stated before, the government has started programs to assist, but they are not widely known nor advertised. The human race as a whole needs to be made aware of the benefits of taking advantage of the renewable resources we currently have available to us. Even more importantly, we need to be informed of the alternatives that are out there. It would be quite difficult to implement alternative renewable energy if we did not know where to go to find it, or maybe had not heard of it at all. In addition to this, people need to be aware of what will happen when we run out of the non-renewable energy sources we all count on every day. Awareness is the key to my plan. I consider fear to be one of the best ways to educate. Just think back and remember the frenzy when we were about to turn into the new millennium! The only reason more people haven’t begun to research or use an alternative energy source in their everyday lives is because they are comfortable and uneducated about other options available to them. Besides, why would people change when they feel they are able to obtain any resource they need?

Once people have a good basic knowledge of what is out there in the way of renewable energy, there needs to be an affordable and somewhat simple way to obtain it. In order to make renewable energy efficient and widespread, it needs to be used on a massive scale. Face it; many people are lazy and prefer to take the path of least resistance. Those same people may be more apt to make a change if they know they may save a little money. Practicality is the key. Most people are not going to waste the time, nor the effort to implement a renewable energy source in their homes if it causes them too much trouble. With the technology we have today, there is no reason why we can’t implement a program that will nearly eliminate the use of fossil fuels.

Once people are educated, and have become open to the idea of renewable energy, the resource needs to be easily accessible to them. The easier it is to obtain the equipment, the more people will take advantage of the source. This brings me to the next step in my conservation plan. The government needs to subsidize and support small and large businesses that install energy efficient systems into homes and businesses. Some of the research shows that many states give rebates for residents who install solar systems, and even more, the Federal Government provides an even larger rebate! On top of this, establishing solar power in your home increases the value of your house immensely (Find Solar, 2008). The problem is that the buyback for a complete solar system can be up to 20 years depending on where you live and how large your home is. The only resolution is for the government to get more involved and offer better