About 500 people at an energy-efficiency forum in Kansas City were told Friday (Sept. 14, 2007) morning, that we must curb electric consumption in the U.S. Not doing so was no longer acceptable and must change.
But the U.S. is currently ranked last among industrialized countries in making investments for more efficient use of energy, and the Midwest, with its relatively cheap power, is even lower than the U.S. average in making such investments.
That has to change, said several speakers, especially with growing concerns about global warming, which is widely seen as being contributed to by coal-fired power plants.
“We have no choice but to act on the agenda of energy efficiency,” said David Warm, executive director of the Mid-America Regional Council.
- The Kansas City Star reported.
Some progress on energy efficiency had been made nationally. The recent energy bill approved by the Senate and House included measures to reduce energy consumption in government buildings, U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskil (D-MO) said, and to increase efficiency standards for appliances.
Robbie Cox, president of the Sierra Club, said in the last 24 months he had seen a dramatic change in addressing energy efficiency, with about 40 states pursuing such proposals. If the momentum continues, he said, it should eliminate the need for new coal-fired power plants and eventually allow some of the current plants to be shuttered. By 2050, carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by 80 percent, he said.
One obstacle to such progress is how utilities could be affected financially, especially since they would need to be key players in pushing and even financing energy efficiency projects, including promoting more efficient lighting and air conditioning. Giving utilities incentives to reduce demand is seen as crucial, although some are concerned about the possibility that energy bills could increase even as consumption declines.
Some businesses have already concluded that energy efficiency makes sense. Ken Baker, a senior manager for Wal-Mart, said the company’s stores had been able to reduce power consumption at its stores by 15 to 20 percent, with such improvements as skylights that reduce the need for electrical lighting. It has a pilot program in Hawaii and California that is equipping several stores with solar panels. Companywide, it has been able to heat enough water using waste energy from refrigeration equipment that it could have supplied 30,000 homes.
Energy efficiency, Baker said, is “good to the customer and good for business.”
I certainly directly quoted more of this article then I intended, and I certainly see a need to reduce energy consumption. Not just for the environment as the environmentalists push, but because of the amount of oil used to produce it (figuring into the cost of our gasoline) and also the cost of consuming it.
The down side, as was mentioned by Mr. Cox, in the article is that if consumption goes down, the utilities will feel it in the pocket book, and thus could result in higher rates so that they can maintain profits.
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