<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
There is a difference between being energy efficient and energy
conservative.<br>
<br>
My thinking these days is that we should talk more about becoming an
energy conservative.<br>
<br>
Coincidentally, I decided to see what Lowes and Home Despot have for
sale in terms of freezers. Your statements match my observations:
The only Energy Star models were the top of the line, expensive,
large products. <br>
<br>
Bob Waldrop, OKC<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 7/30/2012 6:02 PM, Reuben Deumling
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CAE5fceDEtpLaS=Q3StvZv0sfrj7aNYZVcbSECMq3U3dYNCyTKA@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite"><br>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 8:00 AM, David
Bergman <span dir="ltr"><<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:bergman@cyberg.com" target="_blank">bergman@cyberg.com</a>></span>
wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div>
I think Jevon's Paradox gets overquoted and overestimated as
an
anti-efficiency tactic. While there's no doubt it exists to
a degree, I
believe most studies have shown that the increases in usage
are not
larger than the gains in efficiency.<br>
<br>
I know I've read several such articles recently, but can't
put my finger
on them. Anyone recall?<br>
<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div>There have been quite a few: David Owen in the New Yorker
(2010) & the Breakthrough Institute (2011).<br>
<br>
These articles have enraged my energy efficiency advocate
friends, because they feel the authors don't understand the
rebound effect, misuse the term, etc. But the larger point,
and the reason this term has gained a certain amount of
currency--despite having been buried by energy efficiency
champions many times--is that the boosters of energy
efficiency who so eagerly promise that EE will avert climate
change, help us meet our policy targets, etc. have never
deigned to explain to the non-expert how it is that energy
consumption, and GHG emissions keep rising despite
unprecedented amounts of money spent on EE. <br>
The rebound effect keeps getting dug up because it speaks to
the very persistent misgivings many people have about these
inflated claims. We've been pursuing EE for going on 30 years,
20 if you want to be conservative about it, and what have we
gotten for it? More CO2 emissions, higher per capita
consumption of electricity, gasoline, & natural gas. Is it
any wonder that Jevons gets to live another day?<br>
<br>
The tragedy is that the EE advocates' only counter argument is
to angrily denounce their critics for failing to understand
Jevons or the rebound effect. But they never address the
underlying issue, and/or concede how over-selling their
favorite strategy when it comes to actually reducing energy
consumption or GHG emissions has led to these explorations of
how we can have energy efficiency and growth in energy
consumption at the same time.<br>
<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div>
And I think a major exception cited is televisions, where
they've become
more energy-efficient but they've also gotten much larger.
But you can
argue that there are two separate factors at work there.
Similarly for
refrigerators.<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div><br>
The point I'd make is that the two are not necessarily
separate. Bigger fridges and bigger TVs are not so easily
separated from the energy efficiency efforts that rescue large
fridges and large TVs from the erstwhile scorn of energy
authorities, by slapping endorsement labels on them. <br>
<br>
It is no accident that the endorsement label programs (Energy
Star above all) but also rebates and related efforts focus on
the largest and most lavish versions of all products so
designated. The point is to make middle class consumers feel
better about buying the high end, well appointed goodies. You
won't see an Energy Star label on a small modest fridge or a
black and white TV (to pick two extremes that will consume
less energy than the models with the labels). <br>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
<br>
<pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
Greenbuilding mailing list
to Send a Message to the list, use the email address
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Greenbuilding@bioenergylists.org">Greenbuilding@bioenergylists.org</a>
to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_lists.bioenergylists.org">http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_lists.bioenergylists.org</a></pre>
</blockquote>
<br>
</body>
</html>