USA: Are we an energy 'guzzling' nation?
Aug 24 '04 (Updated Sep 16 '04)
The Bottom Line Does it require a crisis to do something about energy waste?
Beginning of August I started a write off Are we an energy guzzling nation?" and there have been very valuable entries to date. Instead of just letting you do all the work, I decided to enter my opinion to this subject as well and encourage you (the reader) to do the same.
PREFACE
Let's look at the definition of the two key words in my provocative headline first ('energy' & 'guzzling'). As it can be seen from the definitions below, energy is more than just gasoline and electricity, but those are the major forms of 'man-made' energy that are used in our daily lives and can be transformed into almost anything. So I will focus on those two types of energy.
As far as the use of the word guzzling goes, it's certainly an intended pun based on the habitual meaning of it and the same indulgence we seek from alcohol that makes us forget the side effects. Similar analogies can be found with mentioned energies above, as their convenience make us ignore possible negative effects. True to the implication of excess in the chosen word guzzling, I am going to concentrate on wasteful use of energy rather than general. Further, I will ignore many other aspects like caloric intake as another form of energy guzzling and consequential obesity. (That would lead us off the topic.)
Energy:
Etymology: Late Latin energia, from Greek energeia activity, from energos active, from en in + ergon work -- more at WORK
- 1: a) dynamic quality [narrative energy] b) the capacity of acting or being active [intellectual energy]
- 2: vigorous exertion of power : EFFORT [investing time and energy]
- 3: the capacity for doing work
- 4: usable power (as heat or electricity); also : the resources for producing such power
- synonym: Power
[source: Merriam-Webster Online]
guzzling:
Etymology: origin unknown
- intransitive senses : to drink especially liquor greedily, continually, or habitually
- transitive senses : to drink greedily or habitually
[source: Merriam-Webster Online]
I am born and raised German and technically not qualified to comment on the energy situation in the US, but I take that right by power of the last 10 years I spent in the US as a resident. (... and now officially 'imported' by the virtue of being married to my lovely wife.)
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
1. Gas prices have hit record highs. What do you think about the argument that $2/galon is still less than half of what most European countries pay?
Gas prices are only half the equation since the price for crude oil on the world market and especially OPEC is the same for all countries - whether from Europe, America or Asia (just to name three of the continents). Currently, one barrel (equals about 30 gallons or 115 liters) costs $48 or &euro 38. That gives us a raw material cost of $1.60 /gallon or &euro 0.34 /liter. (Watch the different units, as one gallon equals about 3.8 liters. Further, I am ignoring additives and actual by-products to keep things simple.)
It becomes clear that gas prices in the US are much more closely related to crude oil than Europe. Taxes are a major reason for the enormeous markup in the old world. Those taxes, in return are partially used for maintaining and extending public transportation as well as environmental programs. So in other words, taxes are kind of a convenience charge for those who prefer the comfort of individual transportation. America does not invest much in public transportation and it is difficult across the country, but even in many metro areas underdeveloped.
So, am I supporting taxes for better public trasportation? well, yes and no. As with all taxes it's hard to control how the money is used, but environmental programs and improvements in infrastructure sure cost money and somebody is paying for it one way or the other.
2. Should the US government support energy-saving concepts like hybrid cars with more tax incentives or introduce law to enforce it? Would you choose a hybrid car, even if it means it's not a Hummer or Cayenne?
I am not sure what the holy grail is, but any program that promotes the development of energy-efficient technologies and renewable energies should be sponsored. Since nothing happens on its own, incentives in form of tax reductions would be one factor that certainly would help to spark interest amongst customers.
Introducing laws is much harder and will find significant resistance. However, given the bad air quality in may areas that go unregulated (to attract companies with lower taxes and so on), laws need to be reinforced that ensure a certain quality of life. Beyond environmental specifications, I am not sure if laws should go too much further. (In the end, nobody can force you to buy a hybrid.)
(Besides, it's election time and no politician that tackles this subject with realistic programs has a chance to win voters.)
3. Given our current energy policy (US), do you support exploration of new oil fields or is it time to really think about alternative energy (and do something)?
Dependency on foreign energy sources (most notably oil) is currently treated as if it was a bad thing and used to manipulate the people to agree with exploitation of oil fields in Alaska etc.. However, the current policy sure has written expansion all over it and barely anything about conservation or even reduction of waste.
If those new oil fields were necessary to maintain a healthy energy use, I would cautiously agree to go there. However, I totally oppose it as means to satisfy our excessive energy use that bares any justification other than convenience and 'just because'. I am sorry to say that, but convenience is not enough of a reason to potentially harm an intact environment as if we had plenty left.
Further, I do believe that new oil fields are just a form of expansion and natural resources are being used up even quicker. At the same time, the need for alternative energies is masked by ample flow of the precious liquid (gas).
Sure, alternative energies sound like an old hat and currently there are not too many commercial grade products available. Some of them even are counter-productive as their production harm environment more. (Notice that I said some and not all!) Other simply are way too expensive. However, there are still many issues to be solved and it sure is time for some government induced plan to get there (quicker).
Alternative energies may be necessary sooner than Western analysts estimate right now. Just think of the exceptional growth of the Chinese industry, and the wealth it is in the process of creating. Now imagine hundreds of millions new cars and disaster is sure just around the corner. To think of the world's oil resources as for mostly American use seems to be one major misconception. Even though, we're currently securing our foot in the 2nd biggest resources of the world, so it might as well be considered 'ours'? Remember, there are still plenty countries out there that are still waiting for their industrial revolution and potentially will want a piece of that.
4. In the office, it's not unusual to run lights, computers and other equipment all the time. Do most workers not know where the power button is or is turning them off over night and the weekend just way overrated?
Frankly, this has been a pet peeve of mine ever since I came to the US. In the office and many places outside, most people are not aware of thousands of dollars wasted by unnecessary energy use as some things are just taken for granted.
Important: There is a big difference between daily use of equipment in order to entertain or produce (intellectual or material) values and the waste of energy in off-times due to ignorance. And no, those colorful 'Screensavers' don't save any energy and only protect the phosphors of a CRT to develop memory due to static stress.
To make a point, take a regular (midsize) office with about 50 computers. (For simplicity sake, I will not consider any other devices.) Say all those computers are still equipped with CRTs and on average each at 150VA. A workday has roughly 9 hours and that leaves 15 hrs of idle time Mo-Fr and 24 hrs Sa/Su (total = 123 hrs /week). There are 52 weeks in a year and roughly 8 holidays and 10 days of vacation. I spare you the math but idle time mounts up to roughly 6660 hours of idle time per computer and essentially 330,000 hrs for the whole office or 50,000 kWh. Depending on your energy plan ($0.10/kWh) that would be right around $5,000 of wasted energy.
Monitors are easy to point at but don't forget about computers themselves. Many of the recent models easily consume 200VA under normal use and 400VA for high-end models (not counting servers etc.) is not unheard of either. Add lights, a/c and other stuff to get the whole picture.
On the bright side, with the economic downturn most companies are forced to watch expenses like that much closer. And currently nobody can afford this kind of waste. Nevertheless, awareness is still relatively low and often only very obvious things are considered. If history is any indicator, I expect most people to forget about that once economy picks up again (as it happened in the past). Remember the energy crisis of the 80s? How much of that are you still aware of?
Does it really take a crisis to think about avoidable waste?
5. If you had to give up something in order to prevent an (hypothetical) energy crisis, what would you most likely reduce first and what most certainly last? (Large vehicles, air-condition, outdated electrical equipment ...)
It clearly would be large SUVs and MiniVans for daily commute. Status symbol or not, I don't think we can afford the 'convenience' of guzzling gasoline every day and most of those cars move little more than one person or two day by day from home to work and back. (Irony has it that even a good percentage of pickup trucks have never seen a load worth mentioning and a vast majority of SUVs never left the road. And since when does one child require a Mini-Van?)
Second on my list would be air conditioning. I know, the South gets hot and it's essential in many cases. However, essential and convenient are two different things. While I enjoy the convenience of a/c, does the office and movie theater really have to be at 65F in summer when it's 90s outside? Further, most people are not even aware that air conditioning in a car reduces fuel efficiency too.
Well, being a computer addict, I would certainly give up computers last. (Which is turned off whenever I don't use it.) My work and hobby are so closely related to this 'marvel of technology' that I consider it essential. And to address one concern most people still seem to have: In the 20 years of computer use, I never had a single device fail because it has been turned off daily!
6. In case you think that something is wrong with our current energy use, who's responsibility is it to do something about it? Government, industry or the people?
In an ideal world, I would give the responsibility to the people and let their demand drive energy conserving technologies and products. However, using my example of record sales of Hummers and Cayennes I don't think the average person can be completely trusted with this task. Since the industry is supposedly driven by customer demand, it cannot be trusted either with the whole responsibility either - for obvious reasons. (Don't forget about the effect of advertisement on the buying habits, and many commercials scream "bigger is better".)
Frankly, Europeans would drive big cars in masses too if gas was cheap and parking space ample. Given that most countries in Europe are settled much more dense, pollution does limit gas guzzlers and old technologies (engines) in order to keep the environment liveable. The US on average is far more spread out and neither pricing, parking, nor environment laws are as restrictive (with exception of California).
Yet, I think a good way to start is education, overrated by some and shrugged off by others, but awareness is not created in a few days. Many people don't have a good understanding for how easily energy could be saved without sacrifycing anything, and even more with only slight 'inconvenience'. (i.e. reducing the a/c by only 3F can reduce energy consumption significantly)
A few simple topics that require education:
- Aluminum needs an extreme amount of energy to be produced but can be recycled with much less energy ... recycle cans!!!
- Turning devices off when not in use, can save significant energy over their lifetime
- The reliability of most electronics is not affected if turned off after use ... just do it!
- The world's conventional energy resources are not unlimited ... start saving now
CONCLUSION
Alright, so that's my thoughts on this. If you made it this far you may agree with me or think that I am totally nuts. Either way, I would like to hear from you. Make your opinion heard and write your own essay on this topic. I think it's too important to be ignored.
Remember, it starts with me and you, and you, and you ...
- Thomas
;-)
FURTHER READING
Energy Use In the USA - http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/usa.html
Pollution In the USA - http://www.scorecard.org/
Energy Use in the World - http://www.tagesschau.de/static/flash/renewables/index.html
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