Changing energy paradigm

Recent surveys of global company executives and consumers show a growing shift in awareness of energy consumption.

More than 1,000 consumers were asked, ‘If utilities buying renewable power on your behalf raised your rates 5 percent for the same amount of power and the entire cost was attributable to the higher price of renewables, would you be willing to pay an extra 5 percent?’ More than half of respondents, with a margin of error of about 3.5 percent, said they would be willing to pay the increase.
In last year`s poll, most people did something, but their efforts were lifestyle changes like turning off lights or turning down the thermostat. Another group of people bought efficient appliances when they needed to replace older devices, but only if the appliance needed replacing anyway. As people replace things, they will buy new devices that are more efficient, Terzic said.

Still, only about 2 percent or 3 percent of the public said they had spent money specifically for conservation efforts. Those people spent money to weatherize their house, put in weather stripping, put in better insulation — but it was a very small number who spent actual money for conservation.

However, while there have been steady increases in efficiency or products, there`s a counter-trend of buying more devices. Computers, televisions, cell phones, DVD players and IPods all must be plugged in and use electricity, Terzic said. And there are data centers that support many of those devices that use a tremendous amount of electricity. So while efficiency may be improving, statistics can be misleading because people are using more electricity.

Monsters and Critics