What is Energy Efficiency?

Many people think that Energy Efficiency (EE) means you have to change your behavior by turning your lights off or driving less. Using less energy is Energy Conservation, not Energy Efficiency. Energy Efficiency means getting more for the energy you are consuming. EE uses less energy consumption to achieve the same, or higher, level of energy service.  A compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) is more energy efficient than an incandescent bulb because it produces the same amount of light but uses 75% less energy.

Energy Efficiency is much less expensive and time-intensive than increasing supply by building new generation. The savings potential of Energy Efficiency far outweighs the initial investment required. Unlike fossil fuel resources, EE does not pollute and unlike solar and wind, it is not weather dependent.

Energy Efficiency can be achieved through the development of new technologies, like more efficient cars and Energy Star products, or through the use of existing technologies more productively, like insulating ducts and weatherizing windows. The largest potential for energy savings exists in the retrofitting of homes and commercial buildings.

Nevada has the potential to save 13.5 million megawatts of energy consumption, using known building and industry EE technologies, by 2025.
 

Why is Energy Efficiency important?

• Environment – Energy Efficiency uses less energy consumption, which requires less energy generation of any resource.
• Reliable – Energy Efficiency is not dependent on weather, or source generation
• Economic – Energy efficiency positively impacts jobs, as it tends to shift spending away from capital-intensive energy industries and toward labor-intensive service industries.
• Safety – Energy Efficiency relies on technology development and implementation in the United States, and has no foreign dependence contributing to our national security.