We will review and remove the obstacles that prevent business from investing in energy-efficient technologies like the combined heat and power system I toured this morning. Conservation does not mean doing without. Thanks to new technology, it can mean doing better and smarter and cheaper. Innovation helps us all make better choices. Smart electric meters can tell homeowners how they re using power and how they might reduce their monthly electric bill.
Sensors can turn off lights when people leave a room.
And innovation is bringing us transmission wires that waste less of the electricity they carry from plant to home or to office. Conservation on a wide scale takes more than good ideas. It takes capital investment. Outdated buildings and factories have to be upgraded or replaced to consume less and pollute less. Procedures intended to protect the environment have too often blocked environmental progress by discouraging companies from installing newer and cleaner equipment.