Energy Efficiency
Energy has an important function. It is the central force behind productivity, leisure, and the environment. There is a strong correlation between energy use per person and standard of living in each country. Higher per capita energy consumption means a higher per capita gross national product. Energy is an indispensable component of industrial product, employment, economic growth, environment, and comfort. Low-cost energy was abundant in the past. Energy cost was only a very small fraction of the cost of finished product. Use of low-cost energy for home comfort became very predominant. The subsequent increase in oil prices increased the energy cost in every sector, domestic, commercial, industrial, etc.
It is important to be aware that world energy resources are fast getting depleted. This energy saving or conservation is essential in developed as well as developing countries. Energy conservation means using energy more efficiently or reducing wastage of energy, particularly in the generation of electricity. It is important that any energy conservation plan should only try to eliminate wastage of energy with- out any way affecting productivity and growth rate. Energy conservation usually requires new investment in more efficient equipment to replace old inefficient ones. Thus, energy conservation can result in more job opportunities, lower costs, cheaper and better products, etc. There are two principles of energy conservation planning:
• Maximum energy efficiency: A device, system, or process is working at maxi- mum efficiency when maximum work is done for a given magnitude of energy
input. Only a part of the input energy is converted into useful work. The remain- der is lost in energy conversion and transfer process and energy discharge;
• Maximum cost-effectiveness in energy use: Implementation of energy conservation entails additional investment. This investment increases as more and more energy conservation measures are adopted. Because of implementation of these measures, the fuel costs decrease as extent of conservation is increased. The total cost per unit output is the sum of annual charges on investment per unit output and fuel costs per unit output. Evidently, maximum cost-effectiveness in energy use is obtained when total costs are the least.
Undoubtedly, all countries should try to use all available energy sources for the formation of their energy mix. This includes the use of wind, solar, hydro, nuclear, and tidal and recycling sources such as biogas and municipal solid waste. It also includes fossil fuels, coal, oil, and natural gas—but in as clean a mode as possible. However, it is important to know the characteristics of each energy source to make the best possible election. For example, wind and solar are intermittent sources and for this reason require a backup supply and a larger electrical grid (with more transmission lines and towers) than any other source. Also, it must be considered whether any particular fuel is, in fact, a net saver of fossil or other energy source.
The following are a group of measures that should be adopted in order to increase energy efficiency:
• Conserve the energy through efficiency in all that people do. This includes lighting, vehicles, appliances and home insulation, among others. For example, replacing the few incandescent lights in every home or business that are used the most with fluorescent bulbs or LEDs will make major reductions in energy use;
• Make mass transit more extensive, more economical, and user friendly;
• Review building codes to ensure new homes and buildings are constructed to be reasonably energy efficient, perhaps having different grading levels (with payback periods estimated) so purchasers can choose how far above a threshold value, they wish to go. Standards for commercial buildings need to consider the global economy competitive issues. Innovative ideas, such as using wastewater from restroom sinks, or laundry machines, to flush toilets on lower floors, need to be considered;
• Implement consumer education programs at all levels, particularly within commercial establishments that produce goods and services;
• Develop and disseminate practical energy conservation packages for the general population and for industry sectors such as agriculture, trucking, airline, fishing, mining, refining, and warehousing. These packages should contain reasonable energy reduction targets, progress markers (milestones), and estimates of savings if achieved;
• Review traffic flow measures that cause vehicles to stop and go or wait unnecessarily for nonexistent pedestrians or intersecting traffic;
• Set advisory guidelines for industry and consumers in the use of energy star products;
• Get a watt-hour meter and see what each of your appliances, electronics, and plug-in lights costs to run;
• Reduce the number of parasitic loads in the house. If a TV or VCR or Cable TV
Box is sitting in the basement and is rarely used, put it on a power strip and shut everything off when you leave the room;
• Consider energy use efficiencies on all appliances and vehicles;
• Put your hand on your water heater, or the pipes leaving it. If hot, insulate them.
For one thing, it is not just a loss of energy, but in the summer, it is fighting the air conditioner;
• Leaving a room and last one out? Shut off the light! Put your computer to sleep
or shut it off. If the A/C is on, be extra careful;
• Vehicles: share rides in a car pool; inflate tires properly; time for a tune-up with new spark plugs; keep air filter clean; and do not put too much weight in the trunk.
Certainly, energy efficiency should be the foundation of any energy policy, because it can drive down costs and demand still further, reducing the need to consume more and more energy in order to satisfy the foreseeable increase in the demand of energy. In 2006, the EC adopted an Action Plan for Energy Efficiency with the objective of controlling and reducing energy demand to take targeted action on consumption and supply in order to save 20 % of annual consumption by 2020. Although substantial steps have been taken toward this objective (mainly in the appliances and building sector), recent EC estimates suggest that the EU is actually only on course to achieve half of the desired savings. It is, therefore, essential for the EU to act now to get back on track to achieve the 2020 targets.15 The EC has recently published a comprehensive Energy Efficiency Plan, with the aim of providing a holistic approach to identifying and realizing the savings potential.
The EC has outlined a two-step approach to implement the Energy Efficiency Plan. The first stage will assess the national energy efficiency targets and programs set by EU member states and how they might contribute to the overall EU tar- get. In 2013, the EC made an assessment of the results obtained and will define whether the programs will deliver the EU 20 % objective. If the 2013 review shows that the overall EU target is unlikely to be achieved, then as a second stage, the EC will propose legally binding national targets for 2020 (see Fig. 1.16).
Finally, it is important to highlight that the energy efficiency in the EU has dropped since 1990, but it is expected that this trend changes during the coming years. A slight recovering process started in 2009 (see Fig. 1.17). However, even
in the best scenario, the indicative 20 % energy savings objective for 2020 adopted by the EU would not be achieved under current policies—not even by 2050. To achieve this target, a group of new measures should be adopted by all EU member states as soon as possible.