Energy Conservation - Assignment Example

Introduction Energy conservation is a term referring to the process of conserving the current resources’ supply or utilizing the resources that are renewable such that there is an assurance of future availability of the available natural resources. This function is very vital since it restricts the usage of non-renewable resources which affect the environment first hand. More particularly, the utilization of fossil fuels results to not only air pollution but also water. For instance, while oil, gas combust or coal is being burnt carbon dioxide is the effluent. This gas causes the ‘greenhouse effect’. This greenhouse effect is a force to reckon with since it alters the existing weather leading to environmental impacts that are undesired, hazardous to human health, damage the coastal areas as well as change the course of vegetation growth and making extinct other plants and species of animals. In the United States of America the mean usage of energy produces about 11,200 pounds of pollution to the air per annum. Thus, for every kilowatt of electricity that is saved there is a significant reduction of energy usage’s impact on the environment. (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1997) This study is, thus, set out to look at energy conservation as a particular environmental issue. It is going to answer in a vivid manner the questions, “Which are the causes of the problem? What are the current strategies of sustainability? And what is the impact on the environment?” Subsequently, a mitigation plan will be presented and the conclusion that befits the findings of the study. Causes of the Problem As Heinberg writes, the persons involved in the policy making should not just wait for the non-renewable resources’ price to increase and the renewable resources’ to decrease so as to construct an infrastructure of national energy. As a matter of fact the signals from prices of non-renewable energy may appear at a point where help would be surpassed by the predicaments. Had the project been started in the 1970s and the progress made possible with consistency to the present day, the transition would have been a smooth sailing. The situation might seem too serious currently but it is not a hopeless case. All that is being called for is a national effort that is heroic to develop renewable energy and through this sustainability would be assured as well as the plummeting of social chaos besides the suffering of humans in years to come. The problem of energy conservation cannot basically be blamed on the aforementioned, but also the stalling of programs to ensure energy conservation. This can be illustrated by the most recent developments of other countries to even overtake the position of the United States. Before this, the US was seen to concentrate its spending upon the renewable energy and the technologies going tandem as noted by Heinberg. This was beyond any other nation’s spending, be it on absolute basis or on the basis of per-capita. Japan, Germany, Iceland, Spain, and the Netherlands are surging forward at a quicker pace, while efforts on renewable energy by the US are stagnated. Despite the overreliance on the industrial energy by the US and the impending reduction in the availability of fossil fuel, the function of energy conservation is not the first priority to the USA. For instance, the 2004 budget’s proposition the largest of priorities would be focused on the military. The administration of the day decided to raise the budgetary allocation from 2003’s on the military outdoing any other nation globally besides Russia. Another prominent cause of the energy conservation problem in the US is the prevailing subsidies to the agribusiness corporations that encourage high energy dependence. Also it can be noted that the biggest corporations in the US which aided growth as the fundamental wielders of power in the most recent times. Conspicuous in the system is the legal privilege bestowed on them through means that are dubious. (Heinberg, 2005) Current Sustainability Strategies Energy conservation opportunities nowadays are rising in availability. Be it in school, office, home or industrial settings. These are now gaining from energy-saving innovations as well as those for cost saving. Locally, the merits associated with conservation of energy have been quantified in terms of savings in dollars and the tons of pollutants to air done away with. The decline in greenhouse gas emissions in the world has also been put in to quantities in form of the decrease in warming impact. Strategies are applicable in both home and community settings. One of the strategies is the clean cities initiative that concentrates on the advancing of the nation’s environmental, economic and the security on energy by offering aid to local decisions aimed at adopting practices contributing to the petroleum consumption reduction. This initiative has networks of about 90 coalitions on a volunteer basis. These coalitions develop partnerships that are private or public to ensure promotion of alternative fuels as well as fuel blends, fuel economy, advanced vehicles, idle reduction and hybrid vehicles. Another one is the initiative of advanced fuels and advanced vehicles data center. This can simply be referred to with the acronym AFDC. It makes a provision of information that is wide range as well as resources to allow the usage of alternative fuels. Alternative fuels are comprehensively defined in the 1992’s Act of Energy policy. Further still, it provides options to petroleum reduction like fuel economy, idle reduction, fuel blends and advanced vehicles. Yet still, there is the Green Building Alliance, an organization that is nonprofit making which advances the well being of humans and economic prosperity in the area around Western Pennsylvania by way of triggering market demand for products of green buildings themselves. This organization has pioneered and led the change in this region as a vital way of encouraging green buildings- this is the call for materials that are environmentally sound, healthy indoor environments, minimal effect and the pay off financially in energy reduction, water as well as other outlays of operations. Environments for green buildings range from retail stores, offices, and generally all commercial places like hospitals, schools, and homes. (epa.gov, 2008) Other forces to ensure that the strategies of minimized greenhouse emissions are known is the software that evaluates the emissions of the greenhouse, baseline energy and carbon footprint. This aids companies in the process of analyzing their strategies for sustainability. It is referred to as the Total Emissions Analytic software and it helps in the computation of the return on investment emanating from the implementation of green information technology equipment as well as lighting. The software is courtesy of Noblis Investment Company which is a nonprofit making undertaking. Also this tool can aid companies in their evaluation of variable incomes, with the inclusion of emissions computation effects of corporate policies and practices’ shifting. It also allows body corporate in the seeing of their impact of emissions over the geographical setting in context. (environmentalleader.com, 2009) Impact on the Environment Poor energy conservation policies have led to the turmoil of residents from both the states with relatively plenty resources to those which are poor with regard to the same. Due to this state especially as witnessed in the 1970s, states in entirety have established interest to enhance the accessibility for all users to stable energy supplies at prices that are reasonable. The three-fold energy policies of interest are the resident’s abilities to cover their utility bills, state economy and the state’s environment protection. The costs of utility are present in the whole states’ fabric of economy. Where utility costs are high, a body corporate competitive edge may decline due to the rise in operating costs. The effect is most severe on small enterprises whose profit margins are often low. The high utility costs may also result in to higher consumer commodities’ prices. Therefore, due to the poor energy conservation policies utility costs rise, this can force any given state to have an economic slump, and thus making them a place less desirable to live. These high costs associated to poor residents with lower income status. For example; in the colder states of climate the inability to cover the high bills of heating may lead to demise particularly among the impoverished elderly people. So is the situation when it calls for air conditioning during the extremely hot summers. (Timney, 2004) Mitigation Plan for the Issue Firstly, good public transport system where systems of mass-transit are utilized may lead to lesser energy consumption for each and every passenger per mile than would be the case with automobiles. The benefit is that while an automobile uses about 5,000 British Thermal Units (BTU) per mile for every passenger, a passenger train with 19 persons on board uses approximately 2,300 BTU while a bus uses 1,000 when a similar number of passengers are on board. The challenge comes in where one has to convince people to utilize mass-transit systems and yet still a lot of energy is required for the building of mass-transit systems. The government, together with all individuals must support good systems of public transport. Through this there would be an assurance of even less spending per annum for transport by around US$ 200 to $2’000. Car or automobile owners spend amounts higher than this. Heinberg (2005) Another way out is to use a solar power at home which offers the opportunity for a home to take the advantage of Sun’s rays. This would make a reduction on heating and cooling bills in their respective seasons. Better still it involves lesser costs of operation. As a matter of fact it is the most cost effective way of solar energy utilization. Challenges for solar energy use may come in where there are minimum requirements for its use like the availability of solar resources in adequacy. Also there must be a grid connection in ones area since lack of one may translate to there being a need to purchase extensions of power lines that are expensive. The providers of power must also be willing to connect ones system to the grid of electricity as well as offer to purchase any production of excess power. Support may be made to this approach by the government and the human fraternity alike. Consumers of electricity energy must be willing to purchase electricity from sources that are renewable like wind, sun, plants, water, as well as the earth’s internal heat. This type of power is simply known as the ‘green power.’ The easiest of ways is to purchase green power directly from the utility. The state in ones context together with the utility or city may also offer tax credits, rebates and other incentives to this type of energy utilization. (energy.gov, 2009) Conclusion While concluding, if the suggested energy efficient ways of utilization are applied in each and every state in the USA, improvements in the energy intensity may be evident in future. Institutional factors in every state play a very big role and a role which is vital in helping predict the ways in which energy intensive activities are reduced in future. But if the suggested plan together with the sustainability strategies are fully implemented and followed to the letter, renewable energy would be the order of the day in the future of US. This would ensure that non-renewable energy is less depleted in the future days. Reference: Energy.gov. (2009). Renewable Energy. Retrieved June 19, 2009 http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/renewable_energy.html Environmentalleader.com. (2009). Web Tool Analyzes Sustainability Strategies. Retrieved June 18, 2009 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/05/13/web-tool-analyzes-sustainability- strategies/ Epa.gov .(2008). Energy Conservation Action Plan. Retrieved June 18, 2009 http://www.epa.gov/greenkit/q5_energ.htm Heinberg, Richard. (2005). The Party's Over. Edition: 2. New Society Publishers. Timney, Mary M. (2004). Power for the People. M.E. Sharpe. United States environment protection agency. (1997). Energy Conservation. Retrieved June 18, 2009 http://209.85.129.132/search?q=cache:bnpYgcjpVyAJ:www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/p2 pages/energy.pdf+energy+conservation&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ke     Preview this book Read More