Energy efficiency–the buzzword of the late 1970s and early ’80s–has become a hot topic once again. The federal stimulus bill includes funding for making energy efficiency improvements to your home, and there are numerous national groups dedicated to promoting the concept. But you might not know that the energy efficiency revolution started with a refrigerator.
In the mid-1970s the first of a series of national refrigerator standards was created. Back then, the amount of energy each fridge used varied widely depending on the engineer who designed it and the amount of insulation built in. By setting and later boosting efficiency standards for manufacturers to follow, the U.S. Department of Energy notes the amount of energy a standard fridge consumes today has been cut by 75 percent from 1975—even though the size of the average fridge has grown from 18 cubic feet to 22 cubic feet.
As a result, the amount of energy we’re saving by using current efficient commercial and residential refrigerator models (versus those from the 1970s) equals more than all of renewable energy produced in America today, excluding hydropower. You see, energy efficiency isn’t about wearing sweaters or cutting back on your daily activities—it’s all about being smart with the power you use. And the smarter we are about our power use right now, the less power we’ll need in the future.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration stresses that because of efficiency measures, energy productivity—the impact we get from every kilowatt-hour used—is rising by 0.9 percent a year. By turning to energy efficiency to pull more productivity out of the electricity we require, the United States can reduce its demand growth from 2.1 percent each year to 0.5 percent, according to a 2009 McKinsey Global Institute study.
Electric cooperatives like Pea River Electric are doing our part to help you get the most out of each kilowatt-hour you consume. Across the nation, 92 percent of electric cooperatives offer energy efficiency programs for members. It’s part of our commitment to providing you with reliable and affordable power in an environmentally responsible fashion.
As you’ve probably heard, government action to address climate change will increase electric bills; the size of this impact on your pocketbook has yet to be decided. When it comes to meeting our nation’s energy challenges, electric co-ops are offering elected officials our experience on how to make affordable choices on behalf of consumers. But we need your help.
Through the Our Energy, Our Future™ grassroots awareness campaign, hundreds of thousands of electric cooperative members like you have sent more than 1.7 million messages to Congress, asking lawmakers to focus on the interconnected issues of making sure we have enough generation to satisfy growing demand, developing new low-emissions technologies, and keeping electric bills affordable when shaping energy and climate change policy.
Get involved in this campaign by asking your U.S. representative and senators on Capitol Hill this important new question: Are you willing to work with electric cooperatives like [insert your cooperative’s name here] to ensure our nation has reliable power at a price consumers can afford?
To learn how to begin a dialogue, visit www.ourenergy.coop today.