Efficiency Standards Conserve Energy and Save Money

• Without the energy efficiency improvements that have occurred since the 1970s, our nation would consume 30 percent more energy and energy prices would be driven through the roof.(1)
• During the 20th century, the amount of energy we use in the United States has doubled approximately every 20 years.(2)
• Schools spend more on energy than on computers and textbooks combined.(3)
• Between 1990 and 2000, efficiency standards have saved consumers approximately $50 billion on their energy bills.(4)
• Each year, Americans spend more money to power home audio and DVD products when turned off than when actually in use. Idle TVs and VCRs alone cost U.S. consumers more than $1 billion a year, or some $30 per household.(5)
• Compact fluorescent bulbs use one-fourth the energy of incandescent bulbs, last ten times as long, and are more cost-efficient.(6)
• Energy Star® products have met energy-efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Households that replace existing equipment with Energy Star® products can cut annual energy bills by 30 percent or some $400.(7)
• The typical refrigerator sold in 2002 has more features yet uses about half the electricity of a comparable model sold in 1980.(8)
• Refrigerators in the U.S. alone use the equivalent of the output of about sixty 300-megawatt (MW) power plants. If all the nation’s households used the most efficient refrigerators, electricity savings would eliminate the need for about 30 power plants.(8)
• Using energy-efficient products could reduce your home energy consumption by as much at 30 percent.(9)
• While efficiency standards have led to a modest increase in the price of regulated consumer goods, estimates indicate that benefits (i.e., the cost-savings associated with lower energy bills) are more than 3 times the additional costs.(10)
• Existing efficiency standards will avert the need to build 90 large (300MW) power plants across the nation by 2015.(11)
• By 2010, efficiency standards already adopted will account for a total savings of 250 billion kWh – which amounts to 6.5% of projected electricity use.(10)
• National energy intensity (energy use per unit of GDP) fell 42% between 1973 and 2000. About three-quarters of this decline is attributable to real energy-efficiency improvements.(12)
• The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that increasing energy efficiency and expanding renewable energy use throughout the economy could cut our national energy bill by 8-9 percent in 2010 and 14-22 percent by 2020. Taking into account the cost of efficiency measures, consumers and businesses would save about $50 billion net in 2010 and $100 billion per year by 2020.(13)

Efficiency Standards Reduce Pollution and Save Money

• Energy production and use account for nearly 80 percent of air pollution, more than 88 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and more environmental damage than any other human activity.(14)
• Heating and lighting the average home produces twice as much greenhouse gas pollution as the average car.(7)
• If over the next 15 years, Americans bought only energy-efficient products, we would shrink our energy bills by more than $100 billion and eliminate as much greenhouse gas pollution as is produced by 17 million cars for each of those 15 years.(5)
• If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bulb or fixture with an Energy Star-labeled model, we could save more than 8 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) – equivalent to removing 10 million cars from the road per year.(15)

Strengthening Efficiency Standards Has Bi-Partisan Support

• According to a 1996 poll commissioned by the Sustainable Energy Coalition, nearly two-thirds (65%) of voters, including a majority of Republicans (53%), favor strengthening appliance efficiency standards.(16)

Sources:
(1) Hildt, Natalie. “Appliance and Equipment Efficiency Standards: New Opportunities for States.” Appliance Standards Awareness Project. December 2001. 9 October 2003 <http://www.standardsasap.org/statestnds.pdf>.
(2) “Wasting Energy at Home?” Alliance to Save Energy. 9 October 2003 <http://www.ase.org/educators/lessons/wasting.pdf>.
(3) “Energy Efficiency in Schools.” Alliance to Save Energy. Page updated on December 18, 2002. 9 October 2003 <http://www.ase.org/educators/>.
(4) “Appliance and Equipment Standards: One of America’s Most Effective Energy-Saving Policies.” American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). 9 October 2003 <http://www.aceee.org/energy/applstnd.pdf>.
(5) “Too Plugged In!” Alliance to Save Energy. 9 October 2003 <http://www.ase.org/powersmart/tooplggd.html>.
(6) “Light Up Your Life.” Alliance to Save Energy. 9 October 2003 <http://www.ase.org/powersmart/lightup.html>.
(7) “It Starts at Home.” Alliance to Save Energy. 9 October 2003 <http://www.ase.org/powersmart/strtshome.html>.
(8) “Home Cooking.” Alliance to Save Energy. 9 October 2003 <http://www.ase.org/powersmart/hmcooking.html>.
(9) “On the Move with Energy Efficiency.” Alliance to Save Energy. 9 October 2003 <http://www.ase.org/powersmart/onmove.html>.
(10) “Appliance and Equipment Efficiency Standards: One of America’s Most Effective Energy-Saving Policies.” American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). 9 October 2003 <http://www.aceee.org/energy/applstnd.htm>.
(11) “About Appliance and Equipment Standards.” Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP). 9 October 2003 <http://www.standardsasap.org/aboutstnds.htm>.
(12) “National Energy Policy: Fact Sheet: Economic Benefits of Clean Energy.” The Energy Foundation. 9 October 2003 <http://www.energyfoundation.org/national/FactSheetBenefits.cfm>.
(13) Interlaboratory Working Group on Energy-Efficient and Clean-Energy Technologies, U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “Scenarios for a Clean Energy Future.” Nov. 2000. Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 9 October 2003 <http://www.ornl.gov/ORNL/Energy_Eff/CEF.htm>.
(14) “What’s Energy?” Alliance to Save Energy. 9 October 2003 <http://www.ase.org/powersmart/whtsenrgy.html>.
(15) “Enlightening Comparisons.” Alliance to Save Energy. 9 October 2003 <http://www.ase.org/powersmart/fbulbs.html>.
(16) “National Post-Election Survey Finds Most Voters: Strongly Support Renewable Energy and Efficiency Measures...” American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). 11 December 1996. 9 October 2003 <http://www.awea.org/faq/surveys/survey5.html>.