Page - 39 - in Water, Energy, and Environment - A Primer

with geothermal energy, the emerging category of renewable energy.They are describedmore fully inChapter 8. 5.5 ENERGYEFFICIENCY It isuseful tobeginan in-depthdiscussionofenergyoptionswith a discussion of energy efficiency, the wise use of energy that enables reduced energy demand. It can also be described as the low-hanging fruit in the pursuit of providing safe, reliable, and sustainable energy services. Energy efficiency is the one ‘energy resource’ that every country possesses and for which there remains vast untapped potential. It has even been suggested that, rather than treating energy efficiency as solely a demand-side approach, it be treated as an energy supply resource to be ‘mined’. In the opinion ofmany, includingme, it should be the cornerstone – that is, the essential starting point andpillar–of a nation’s energypolicy. We begin this discussion by differentiating between two terms that are sometimes confused: energy conservation and energy efficiency. Energy efficiencymeans using less energy to perform a task, for example, providing a specified amount of light by expending fewer kilowatt-hours. Energy conservation is a broader term in that it includes actions, such as changes in behavior, to decrease energy consumption. An example of conservationwithout efficiency improvementswould be driving your car less to reduce fuel consumption, or dryingyour clothes on an outdoor clothesline to avoid using a clothes dryer. US President Jimmy Carter brought the term ‘conservation’ forcefully to public attention during his 5 April 1979 ‘Energy Address to the Nation’ (22), at a time when energy issues were a prime focus of attention. He stated that ‘In addition to producing more energy, we must conserve more energy. Conservation is our cheapest and cleanest energy source. It helps to control inflation, and every barrel of oil we save is a barrelwedon’t have to import.’Healso stated that ‘In addition, Energyoptions 39