CONSERVATION OPTIONS Global energy intensity — the amount of energy needed to generate each unit of GDP—has fallen steadily over the last several decades owing to several factors, including improvements in energy efficiency. If no improvements in energy intensity had been made between 1980 and 2008, global energy consumption would be 32% higher today than it currently is. The equivalent amount of energy saved is comparable to the combined current consumption of the United States and the European Union.

CONSERVATION OPTION FACTS RESIDENTIAL: Weatherization projects can reduce residential energy consumption by over 30% in the US. These projects include improvements such as sealing ducts, insulating basements and attics, sealing home air leaks, installing wall sheathing, upgrading windows, and insulating slab foundations. Additional savings could be had by instituting time-of-day electricity pricing which encourages consumers to run appliances when electricity is cheapest.

Under the US Weatherization Assistance Program, which specifically targets low-income households, the US Department of Energy estimates that 30.5 million BTUs are saved each year, and that the program returns $2.69 for every dollar spent. The program has already served 6.4 million low-income households and was recently expanded as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, receiving $5 billion in additional funding.

Increasing the efficiency standards for home appliances would increase energy savings by nearly 30% in the US. Despite the fact that appliances have become more efficient in the past three decades, an increase in the number of electronics and appliances purchased has led to an overall increase in household energy consumption.

It is not uncommon for residential properties in developing countries to not be billed for the actual amount of electricity that they use as many properties are not metered. As a result, there is little incentive to conserve or use energy efficiently. Increasing the number of residences that are metered could therefore improve efficiency without incurring costs associated with new technologies.

COMMERCIAL The commercial sector offers the greatest opportunity to improve efficiency in lighting. Lighting in office buildings often stays on regardless of occupancy. The potential energy savings from efficient lighting and lighting conservation measures in the commercial sector is nearly double that of the residential sector (480 trillion BTUs for the former, compared with 280 trillion BTUs for the latter in the US)

One of the most significant areas of potential energy savings for the US commercial sector comes from data centers. Servers, auxiliary data equipment and supporting power systems draw great quantities of power. Energy consumption from these systems is expected to triple by 2020. 30% of the potential savings in the commercial sector can be achieved with improvements in data center efficiency.

Space heating is a major component of energy intensity in the commercial sector. Because of the low temperatures in this region, firms in northern Europe have a higher energy demand per employee than their neighbors in south Europe. Countries in Scandinavia are experimenting with ways to improve space heating in order to upgrade buildings’ overall efficiency.

INDUSTRIAL Energy efficient motors consume 2% to 8% less energy than standard motors. As motor-driven systems consume 65% of total industrial electricity, a rebate or exchange program—involving government subsidies or tax incentives for factories that replace existing motors with more efficient technologies—can significantly cut industrial energy consumption.

Industry can make the largest contribution towards cutting energy use by promoting energy savings practices. This involves hiring energy managers that focus on improving operating practices, monitoring energy use, and assuring timely maintenance and repairs of all energy-intensive equipment. Currently only 2% of firms in the US report having an energy manager, and they report having reduced their energy consumption by 20 – 30%.

In industrialized countries almost all industries have become more energy efficient in the past two decades. As a result of improved technologies and standards imposed by the EU, energy efficiency in the industrial sector in Europe has improved by over 25% since 1990. In Europe the biggest improvements have come in the chemicals and cement industries.

TRANSPORT Trucking is currently one of the least energy efficient forms of transport. The EU has introduced an initiative, which provides services, such as adaptive speed and acceleration controls, in an effort to increase the energy efficiency of goods transport in urban areas. If successful, the EU hopes to expand these services throughout the continent. Doing so could significantly reduce energy consumption in the trucking sector.

The general idea is that cities will implement priority for trucks at certain intersections (on certain roads and/or certain times of day) and provide this priority as incentive to the truck fleets which implement acceleration, speed limiters and provide eco-driving support to their drivers. In addition, cities will also provide possibilities to dynamically book and re-schedule delivery spaces.

energy efficient intersection control (by providing priority to trucks at intersections) adaptive speed and acceleration controls eco-driving support real-time loading/delivery space booking

A study by the US National Academy of Sciences found that the average fuel economy of US vehicles would be 14% worse if it were not for government-imposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards.