Getting more out of each unit of energy means paying less when we heat our homes, drive our cars, purchase products, and run our industries. Those savings can become an investment in new businesses, in education, and in new technologies. Economic Efficient businesses have a powerful advantage over their inefficient competitors. They pay less when they buy energy and then pay less again when they are spared from expensive cleanup of pollution. Fluctuations in the price of fuel have less effect on efficient companies, and government regulators have less need to focus on them.
Energy efficiency is a mark of a well-run company.
Lower energy expenses also increase disposable income for individuals. Environmental The production of most energy is very harmful to the environment, as evidenced by pollution, strip mining, radioactive waste, and landscapes changed radically by dams. Massive burning of fossil fuels is the major cause of global warming, which may have disastrous environmental effects. Although laws and government regulations play a large part in our energy choices, reducing energy consumption will require small changes and choices in all of our lives that can only come about through social awareness. It means driving less, buying more efficient homes and appliances, and choosing sustainable energy sources.