The benefits of energy conservation are numerous, and they spread beyond the immediate benefactors in its usage. Doing more with less energy benefits you, your family, your neighborhood, county, state, nation, and the world. There are dozens of reasons why households, businesses, and governments choose energy efficient methods for everything they can, but the main ones are that it:
- Saves people and businesses money
- Limits the energy used/wasted, resulting in less environmental strain
- Enhances quality of life and health for people
- Improves the economy
Everyone has his or her own reasons why they choose energy efficiency, and they also prioritize the reasons in a different order. Following is a breakdown of the top five reasons as mentioned above:
- Saves Users Money
Did you know the average household in the United States spends over $5,000/year on energy? Buying Energy Star appliances, and replacing incandescent light bulbs with halogen bulbs, LEDs, or CFLs saves 30-80% on energy bills. Washing clothes in cold water can save homeowners $65/year, as can keeping your vehicle tires properly inflated. There are even multiple tax credits available for purchasing certain Energy Efficient appliance.
- Less Environmental Damage
When less energy is used, precious (and limited!) natural resources are saved and pollution is reduced. The United States uses 56% less energy today than we would be if we didn’t have energy-efficient policies and technologies. In other words, we save the same amount of energy needed to power a dozen states for 12 months, thanks to energy efficient operations. Investments in efficiency implemented in the country so far has saved the equivalent amount of pollution as taking all cars and trucks off the roads for one year would!
- Better Quality of Life
You may not notice it or think about it much at first, but consider how rarely you need to change energy efficient light bulbs, or how nice and insulated your home is, making it comfortable for you through the seasons. For businesses, studies have shown that productivity increases when employees are within an environment that is set at a comfortable temperature. Programmable thermostats can keep temps constant while saving energy. Residents in cities that use smart growth technologies for public transportation have an easier time getting around, too.
- Improved Economies
American cities, and the governments, are saving billions of dollars per year on energy costs, thanks to efficiency methods. Efficiency also creates many jobs – in 2010, for example, energy efficiency accounted for more than 800,000 jobs across the nation.
While these are only four reasons why energy efficiency improves our lives with such benefits, there are so many others – and the number of reasons only increase with time. If you’re interested in saving money and energy yourself but aren’t sure where to start, you can contact A-1 Guaranteed for ideas regarding energy efficient savings, upgrades and appliances for your home.
