Efficiency Is Our Best Untapped Energy Source

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Energy is a complex topic these days and most bring to the discussion old or preconceived concepts that no longer serve.

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Dirty Coal will never be clean.

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Nuclear will never be cost effective because of plant construction costs, before we consider waste disposal and a finite resource.

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Amory Lovins', co-founder and chairman of Rocky Mountain Institute, comments were included in an interview Efficiency Is Our Best Untapped Energy Source worth the read --

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Carole Bass: You have called energy efficiency "the largest, cheapest, safest, cleanest, fastest way to provide energy services." How do you quantify that claim? For example, how large, how cheap, how fast?

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Amory Lovins: Oh, for example, in the United States we could save at least half the oil and gas and three-quarters of the electricity we use, and that efficiency investment would cost only about an eighth [of] what we’re now paying for those forms of energy. …

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As part of our conversation, of necessity we need to consider both sides of the equation, that is Supply as well as Demand.

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It's not as sexy as wind turbines on the horizon or a photo voltaic array on the roof, but is far more cost effective.

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The current New England winter has treated us to snow-covered roofs repeatedly. Watching the pattern of snow melting on a roof is the best and cheapest indication of attic heat loss. Driving around Middleboro reveals some pretty astounding energy consumption just from the barren roofs. I can only wonder what their heating bills are and how long it would take to save the cost of insulating their attics.