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Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is an engineering term relating the work a system performs to the amount of energy the system requires to perform it. It is largely a modern concern, as we try to find new ways to meet our energy needs.

After the oil crisis of 1973 the idea of solving our energy dependency by reducing our energy usage became popular. Since that time major improvements have been made in the energy efficiency of every day appliances. Modern air conditioners, furnaces, stoves, and refrigerators all run on less than half the electricity or gas that they required in those years.

Other advances have been made in energy efficiency as well. Dual paned windows with a vacuum sealed interior reduce energy seepage from buildings. Light reflective shingles and improved insulation further improve the climate control efficiency of buildings. Even more recently, the compact fluorescent light bulb now produces the same amount of light as a 60 watt incandescent bulb on only 11 watts of power.

One major drawback of energy efficiency as a means of reducing energy consumption is the cost decrease effect. When it costs less to obtain a service, demand for that service increases. So often times the savings projected by a model exceeds the actual energy savings because people just use more of a thing… such as air conditioning, simply because it is less expensive now.

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