Energy Conservation vs. Energy Efficiency - Which One is More Beneficial?
Maren Forrest ’25
Natalie Poole ’25
In the search for the common good in today’s world, nothing is more urgent than our collective need to create a healthier environment. To accomplish this, people around the world must work on decreasing their energy use through methods such as energy efficiency and energy conservation.
Energy conservation (EC) is the means of reducing the use of a particular product to save energy. Examples of this include walking or biking to work instead of driving, and turning off the lights when leaving a room. Energy efficiency (EE), on the other hand, is the act of using a product that utilizes a minimal amount of energy. This includes the installation of smart thermostats in homes and switching from incandescent to LED light bulbs.
Both EC and EE are constructive ways to reduce carbon emissions, as they both target the reduction of major producers of carbon emissions, such as transportation and electricity. However, when the U.S. Energy Information Administration analyzed the statistics of large companies that utilize these techniques in the 2020 edition of their annual survey, the megawatt-hour reductions (energy savings) performed by energy efficiency were around 28 times those of energy conservation. Although energy efficiency methods may not immediately appear to be as convenient or affordable as its alternative, they have proven to save more money and energy in the long run. For instance, according to the U.S. Government Energy Department, it costs $0.12 per kilowatt-hour for a typical toaster to function. While this may not seem like much, the cost accumulates over time when used on a daily basis. Instead, this cost can be reduced through energy-efficient alternatives such as solar and U.S. EPA-certified ENERGY STAR products.
To conclude, in terms of being sustainable in the long term, people should strive to adopt energy-efficient changes to their homes and daily routines as much as possible. That being said, if energy conservation methods are the most feasible for an individual or family, employing those methods is certainly encouraged, as every small step toward sustainability makes a difference.
References
Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use. (n.d.). Energy.gov.
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/estimating-appliance-and-home-electronic-energy-use
Use of energy explained - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). (2016). Eia.gov.
