A Tale of Two Cities: Cutting 30% in 3 days...

05/06/08 08:06

Over the past few weeks, people in Juneau, Alaska, have cut their power use by an astounding 30 percent after an avalanche cut hydro power forcing them to pay 200% more for electricity from diesel generators. And they have kept power usage down even after electricity prices came down. They've turned down thermostats, unplugged appliances and switched to fluorescent bulbs. Meanwhile in Hawaii...

Meanwhile, an ocean away, Honolulu is also reacting to electricity costs that have jumped 50% in the past year. The University of Hawaii set a goal of reducing its power consumption by 30% in four years. However students at Saunders Hall took matters into their own hands and changed lighting, reset thermostats to more comfortable temperatures, turned off PCs that are not in use, and have achieved 30% reduction in 6 months.

Whether in warm or cold climates, this tells us Americans can quickly and easily dramatically reduce energy consumption and save money with little inconvenience.

If we as a nation reduced our electricity consumption by 30%, we would need to build no more new power plants, and could shut down the oldest and most polluting ones. Utilities can profitably lead the way by selling lighting, insulation, smart power-strips and other energy conserving services & equipment directly to their customers. (They already have our billing info and if we don't pay, they simply turn off the lights!)

ReferencesElectricity