Why Does Energy Efficiency’s Promise Remain Unfulfilled?

By Yale Environment 360 on March 4, 2011 2 Comments ACEEE, Al Gore, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, An Inconvenient Truth, Barack Obama, bottom line, Cambridge University, carbon dioxide emissions, carbon taxes, carbon trading programs, compact fluorescent light bulbs, demand shifting, Department of Energy, DOE, efficient lighting, energy alternatives, energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product, energy efficiency, energy efficiency measures, energy policy, energy savings, Energy Star, energy-saving mode, European Union, fossil fuel, General Motors, Google, greenhouse gas emissions, Harvard University, Hunt Allcott, hybrid diesel trucks, insulation, LED, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McKinsey & Co, National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, negawatts, NRC, oil shock, Paul Rak, peak load shaving, price signals, R. Neal Elliott, ROI, Sendhil Mullainathan, Siemens, smart grid, smart meters, split incentives, Steven Chu, The Hidden Forest: Biography of an Ecosystem, triple-glazed windows, VeriForm Inc, Wal-Mart, Washington D.C.

Among the many measures the world can take to wean itself off fossil fuels, few match the benefits of making homes, business, and cars more energy-efficient. But financial and psychological barriers have kept individuals, businesses, and governments from realizing efficiency’s great potential.