Energy Conservation
Energy Conservation
A Major Part of the Solution to Energy Generation and
Global Warming
Dennis Silverman
U. C. Irvine Physics and Astronomy
Why Us (U.S.)?
With 5% of the world’s population, the U.S. uses 26% of the world’s energy.
A U.S. resident consumes 12,000 kWh of electricity a year, nine times the world’s avg.
The average American household emits 23,000 pounds of CO2 annually.
Two billion people in the world do not have electricity.
Just using off the shelf technology we could cut the cost of heating, cooling, and lighting our homes and workplaces by up to 80%.
Electric Energy Conservation in the Home
Art Rosenfeld, Former Commissioner of the California Energy Commission, and pioneer of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Some slides from his aide, John Wilson
California Electricity Consumption
Annual Electricity Use Per California Household (5,914 kWh per household)
Conservation Economic Savings
If California electricity use had kept growing at the US rate, kWh/person would have been 50% higher
California electric bill in 2004 ~$32 Billion…
so we’ve avoided ~$16 B/yr of electricity bills.
Net saving (accounting for cost of conservation measures and programs) is ~$12 B/year, or about $1,000/family/yr.
Avoids 18 million tons per year of Carbon
Appliance standards save ~$3B/year (1/4)
Lighting
Compact Fluorescents or Long Fluorescents using plasma discharges use only 1/4 of the energy and heat of incandescent lights, which derive their light from heating filaments hot enough to emit visible light.
If every home changed their five most used lights, they would save $60 per year in costs.
This would also be equal to 21 power plants.
The fluorescents also last up to 10 times as long.
Replacing one bulb means 1,000 pounds less CO2 emitted over the compact fluorescent’s lifetime.
Traffic signal LEDs use 90% less energy and
A Major Part of the Solution to Energy Generation and
Global Warming
Dennis Silverman
U. C. Irvine Physics and Astronomy
Why Us (U.S.)?
With 5% of the world’s population, the U.S. uses 26% of the world’s energy.
A U.S. resident consumes 12,000 kWh of electricity a year, nine times the world’s avg.
The average American household emits 23,000 pounds of CO2 annually.
Two billion people in the world do not have electricity.
Just using off the shelf technology we could cut the cost of heating, cooling, and lighting our homes and workplaces by up to 80%.
Electric Energy Conservation in the Home
Art Rosenfeld, Former Commissioner of the California Energy Commission, and pioneer of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
Some slides from his aide, John Wilson
California Electricity Consumption
Annual Electricity Use Per California Household (5,914 kWh per household)
Conservation Economic Savings
If California electricity use had kept growing at the US rate, kWh/person would have been 50% higher
California electric bill in 2004 ~$32 Billion…
so we’ve avoided ~$16 B/yr of electricity bills.
Net saving (accounting for cost of conservation measures and programs) is ~$12 B/year, or about $1,000/family/yr.
Avoids 18 million tons per year of Carbon
Appliance standards save ~$3B/year (1/4)
Lighting
Compact Fluorescents or Long Fluorescents using plasma discharges use only 1/4 of the energy and heat of incandescent lights, which derive their light from heating filaments hot enough to emit visible light.
If every home changed their five most used lights, they would save $60 per year in costs.
This would also be equal to 21 power plants.
The fluorescents also last up to 10 times as long.
Replacing one bulb means 1,000 pounds less CO2 emitted over the compact fluorescent’s lifetime.
Traffic signal LEDs use 90% less energy and