Energy efficiency is one of the fastest, cost-effective strategies to lower costs and emissions and move towards Net Zero. Not only can energy efficiency lower individual bills while lessening climate change impact, it can also provide economic growth and job creation benefits to society at large.
NRDC works on multiple fronts to promote energy efficiency, from supporting state and federal standards for buildings to lobbying utilities to reward efficient behavior, to funding research into emerging technology.
Save Money
Energy efficiency is more than a buzzword – it’s an effective and cost-saving practice that all businesses should implement. Even simple actions such as turning off lights and using advanced power strips to reduce vampire loads can help businesses reduce their electricity bills. Larger upgrades may involve upfront financial costs; over time they pay for themselves through lower energy expenses.
NRDC works to make it easier for both consumers and businesses to save money through energy efficient purchases. We advocate for state and federal efficiency standards for appliances, work with cities to reduce waste in larger buildings, and encourage utilities to embrace efficiency as a priority.
Energy efficiency investments help local economies by creating jobs and driving economic expansion. Energy efficiency measures can also lower utility bills for families and businesses alike, reduce pollution emissions, and stabilize energy prices; in addition to improving grid reliability by decreasing the need for costly new power plants or transmission lines.
Save the Planet
Energy efficiency is one of the best tools we have at our disposal to protect natural resources, ecosystems and mitigate climate change impacts. Through optimizing energy use we can ease pressure on natural resources while simultaneously avoiding pollution.
By switching to energy efficient appliances and equipment in homes, offices, factories, and transport, we can reduce fossil fuel usage. Even seemingly minor actions like switching inefficient light bulbs with ones certified with the ENERGY STAR can have a big impact on our environment.
At COP28, countries committed to doubling the global rate of energy efficiency improvement by 2030 – an essential step toward decoupling energy consumption from economic growth. To do this, electrification must increase rapidly while technical efficiency improvements and behavioral change initiatives need to be implemented at full pace.
Healthier Lives
Over 2.1 million American workers specialize in energy efficiency research, production and installation. Technologies like LED bulbs consume much less electricity than their incandescent counterparts while still offering comparable levels of illumination. Even simple behavioral changes like turning off lights or unplugging electronic devices are energy-saving practices that contribute towards larger environmental goals.
Fossil fuel pollution contributes to heart disease, cancer and respiratory ailments such as asthma and bronchitis. By improving energy efficiency we can speed the phase-out of fossil fuels – saving millions of lives while cutting health care costs for families across the board.
Energy efficiency also works to decrease social inequities. Lower-income households can afford energy-saving measures like weatherization that help lower their bills; energy-efficient projects provide local jobs with family-sustaining wages; while public transit systems funded through energy-efficient projects link people directly to jobs and services in central cities while simultaneously decreasing car use and air pollutants.
Reliable and Resilient Systems
Modern societies rely on energy services for basic services, making reliable functioning of energy systems essential to human welfare. Unfortunately, technology advancement and environmental degradation present new risks which must be carefully considered when planning energy infrastructure systems.
Resilience in energy systems refers to their capacity to withstand and recover from disruptions, often under extreme circumstances. While most definitions include some specific aspects, it can be challenging determining the indicators, models, and methodologies appropriate for measuring resilience of an energy system.
Use of energy efficiently can reduce demand on the grid, making our electric systems more resilient to extreme weather events or unexpected disruptions. By decreasing investment needs in transmission and generation infrastructure, energy efficiency measures also help protect communities against fluctuations in fuel and electricity prices, as well as vulnerable communities to fluctuation risks. Furthermore, energy saving measures often don’t require significant lifestyle or consumption changes, with financial incentives provided through utility rebates or regional energy efficiency alliances to support efficiency measures.