Efficient Energy Consumption - Example

Efficient Energy Consumption Introduction Energy usage and carbon dioxide emissions are chief environmental issues faced by the modern day global community. Economic growth propels the need for energy, which leads to greater amount of harmful carbon emissions. Some sources of energy have greater negative impact upon the environment compared to others. The energy industry has realized importance of environmental protection and has been taking efforts towards reducing long-term impacts of energy production and consumption. Oil and gas companies of the world have been involved in developing renewable sources of energy, which cause less harm to the environment. Industries and household sectors have been increasingly using such sources of power, shifting away from the use of petrol (Xiaohua and Zhenmin 2001, 1391-1397). The essay deals with the analysis of household consumption of energy. Household energy consumption accounts for a significant portion of energy usage as well as that of carbon emission in the environment. Background study Almost 80% of the world’s population has access to electricity and the figures have been consistently increasing with growth of population and economy. Although the use of energy has increased worldwide, its distribution has remained unequal. Figure 1: Household consumption of energy (Source: Wilson 2014) The above figure shows that household energy consumption has been highest in the nations of Canada and US for the year 2010. The average consumption of household energy in these nations is ten times more than that of Nigeria and India. The difference in energy distribution arises out of numerous factors such as, unequal level of income distribution, level of appliance usage and access to alternative sources of energy. The global average of energy consumption is roughly around 3500kwh per year. The above figure shows that the average consumption of energy in developing nations of India and China are relatively low. These nations also have a relatively large population size that leads to generation of lower average figure (Joyeux and Ripple 2007, 50-60). It is also observed that western developed nations use household appliances on a larger scale than the developing nations. Hence, per person energy consumption in US and UK are high. In most of the nations, household energy accounts for the largest portion of energy consumption. The pollution caused by household energy consumption is, therefore, quite large. Governments of most nations emphasize upon developing innovative ways by which pollution caused for producing electricity that is distributed to the household sector remains low. As a result, renewable sources of power, such as, windmill and hydro power, have been increasingly being considered. Multinational oil and gas companies have been supporting this cause by investing more in production of renewable sources of energy. Apart from this, many of the electronic companies are engaging themselves in manufacturing of energy efficient appliances. In general, electricity and natural gas are most common type of energy variants used for powering the household sector. Natural gas causes a large portion of carbon and methane emissions. Electricity for household consumption is generated largely through burning fossil fuels such as, petrol and diesel, which emit harmful gases and impact the environment negatively. Hydropower and wind power are also important sources of generating electricity. In the recent times, geothermal energy and energy generated from solar panels are also being used on a large scale in several household sectors. Energy is primarily used for heating, cooling and cooking purposes. The amount of harmful emissions generated from the household sector can be controlled by increasing the usage of renewable sources of energy for meeting power requirements in this sector. Modern housing projects in most nations are based on consumption of such renewable sources of energy (Joyeux and Ripple 2007, 50-60). Household energy consumption in China Economic growth along with socio-economic changes has led to rise in the power needs of China. The household sector of China accounts for the second largest amount of energy consumption. Increasing resource depletion and deterioration in the climate has triggered the government and industrial sector of the nation to enhance conservation and emission reduction measures. The twelfth five year plan of the government includes initiatives that focus upon reducing power consumption in the household sector. Figure 2: sector wise consumption of energy (Source: Dong 2014) Research shows that changes in climate and lack of availability of energy sources are not the only aspects that influence pattern of energy consumption in the household sector of China. Socio-economic factors and appliance usage have heavily impacted this sector. Household income and size plays an important role in energy consumption. Socio-economic changes have triggered increased power usage in urban areas. Moreover, significant portions of the population have migrated from rural areas into the main city in search of jobs and better standards of living. China, in recent years, has also experienced an increasing level of foreign investment leading to growth in number of products and services. The society and economy had witnessed rapid changes leading to inclination towards modern lifestyle. The use of household appliances had considerably increased over the past decade in China. The proportion of population owning personal vehicle had also increased, thereby contributing towards depleting the environment further. The increased level of foreign investments have also triggered greater requirement of labour. As a result, the requirement of housing had grown substantially. The pressure upon real estate developers for construction of houses had also intensified tremendously. All these factors had a combined effect on energy consumption within the nation (Poortinga, Steg and Vlek 2004, 70-93). Factors effecting household energy decision Economic factors These include the standard of living and GDP condition of a nation. In several less developed nations of the world such as, those of Africa, it is seen that households rely upon wood and charcoal for cooking needs. They are seen to avail less electricity due to their economic backwardness. On the other hand, well-developed cities with better infrastructural facilities consider electricity as the chief source of power. It has also been observed that renewable sources of energy are more widely used in developed countries as these require sufficient amount of investment and better infrastructure. Hence, developing nations are not successful in implementing them in their household sector. It is also observed that nations, which have a higher level of income, account for greater consumption of energy in respect of appliance usage. In addition, technological advancement has increased application of electronic goods such as, mobile phones and laptops, which account for greater usage of power. Material factors Ease and convenience are important factors which effect the choice of source of power opted by the household sector. Using coal and geothermal sources take up a lot time for generating sufficient heat. Also these sources of power require suitable infrastructure and space which many households find highly inconvenient. Modern stoves that emit less smoke are easy to manage and therefore are used in most households. Natural gas or liquefied gas is mainly used for using such stoves. Therefore it is seen that the choice of source of power depends largely upon the compatibility of the same with different appliances. Environment Many households are shifting towards using renewable sources of energy such as, solar power. The primary reason for this being the increasing levels of green house gases, which have impacted the climate worldwide. Oil and gas exploration as well as increasing level of carbon emission from vehicles and factories has depleted quality of global environment. As a result, a larger portion of the population is turning towards alternative sources of energy. Energy efficient appliances Growing concern for the environment and conservation of resources has led industries to develop energy efficient appliances for the household sector. Such appliances consume less power and emit less environment pollutants. Most electronic goods manufacturing companies are launching their products, considering efficiency in power usage. Consumer awareness regarding the purchase of energy efficient appliances has increased over last decade (Fischer 2008, 79-104). Government policies Alternative sources of energy that are based on renewable sources require adequate investment from giant companies and the government. The government of different nations should consider investing more upon generating mass scale energy through renewable sources such as, wind, hydropower and solar. Investment in terms of innovation and infrastructure would, hence, be necessary in this respect. The government should also take sufficient measures for generating awareness amongst people regarding harmful impacts of carbon emission. Therefore, initiatives must be taken for using power effectively and reducing wastage (Greening, Greene and Difiglio 2000, 389-401). Conclusion Investment in alternative sources of power has been undertaken by nearly all major nations of the world. Conserving bio-diversity has become the primary concern for most nations. Environmental impact is studied by organizations before implementing or undertaking any industrial activity. Use of renewable sources of energy can be encouraged by way of reducing cost of such power and also lowering price of appliances supported by such renewable energy. Experts have analyzed that fuel shortage is a very likely situation for the future. Hence, development of alternative sources of energy is highly necessary. Reference list Dong, Wang. “Household Operational Energy Consumption in Urban China: A Multilevel Analysis on Jinan.” Accessed: 30 May, 2014. http://energyproforma.scripts.mit.edu/documents/Dong_Wang_Thesis_2012.pdf Fischer, Corinna. "Feedback on household electricity consumption: a tool for saving energy?" Energy efficiency 1 (2008): 79-104. Greening, Lorna, David L. Greene and Carmen Difiglio. "Energy efficiency and consumption-the rebound effect—a survey." Energy policy 28 (2000): 389-401. Joyeux, Roselyne and Ronald D. Ripple. "Household energy consumption versus income and relative standard of living: a panel approach." Energy Policy 35(2007): 50-60. Poortinga, Wouter, Linda Steg and Charles Vlek. "Values, Environmental Concern, and Environmental Behavior A Study into Household Energy Use."Environment and behavior 36 (2004): 70-93. Wilson, Lindsay. “Average household electricity use around the world.” Accessed: 30 May, 2014. http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/average-household-electricity-consumption Xiaohua, Wang and Feng Zhenmin. "Rural household energy consumption with the economic development in China: stages and characteristic indices." Energy policy 29 (2001): 1391-1397. Read More