Energy Efficiency Matters - Start Now!
Does energy efficiency make a difference? Don’t we have enough power – from clean (though variable) sources like solar, wind, and hydro – to emissions-intensive and increasingly expensive (yet more reliable) sources such as coal, diesel, petroleum, and natural gas? To answer that question, we need to re-frame the conversation – how do we uncompromisingly achieve our goals by using energy smarter in order to reduce waste and improve savings?
Energy efficiency matters to our planet and us. The science is strong on the links between non-renewable sourced power usage, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and increased natural disasters – such as bushfires and flooding. When I was a kid, the news was news, sport, and weather. Now, the weather is the news.
Energy efficiency matters to our community and economy. The longest-ranging study on energy efficiency was conducted by the American Council for the Energy Efficiency Economy or ACEEE. Between 1980 and 2014, the US grew its GDP by 149%. Its energy consumption, however, increased only 26%. During this time, the US’ energy intensity (power requirements per dollar of GDP growth) halved. Some of that can be explained by a structural shift away from energy-intensive industries like heavy manufacturing. However, a full 60% of that saving came from energy efficiency measures - equating to an annual saving of USD$2500 for every man, woman, and child in the USA. That’s about 150% of the average Australian household’s electric bill. This ability to achieve growth without increasing energy consumption is called the Rosenfeld Effect – named after Art Rosenfeld, ‘the father of energy efficiency.’ (I earlier knew it as the Dad effect because my Dad went around the house turning off the lights.)
Figure 1: Source ACEEE
Energy efficiency matters financially to your household, too, which is why (like my dad) I’m a switcher-off-er – though I focus on appliances on standby power. Power is in the top 5 or 6 items Australian households spend their money on, and it may rank even higher in the near future. As coal powered plants become more expensive and less reliable, the cost of electricity is increasing. Wholesale energy has more than doubled in price over the past year, and homes and businesses across Australia have begun to see this change reflected in their electric bills. Even if you are one of those rare people who’d walk past a dollar on the floor, chances are if you saw $200 on the floor (10% of the average annual electricity household spend) you’d bend down to pick it up. Since I started working every day from home, I became more conscious of my energy use and spending (thanks to the DiUS Powersensor). I have since replaced my home’s 1960s Rockwool ceiling insulation with R5-rated Earthwool (made from non-combustible, recycled glass) to reduce our overall energy use by 20%, added a 10kW solar system so our energy is from a clean source, and switched retailers to avail of a lower tariff that’s also carbon neutral. Our household electric bill is projected to come down from $2200 to $120. In the best-case scenario, I’ll be making about $300 from selling my surplus electricity to the grid. In short, these measures will pay for themselves in 4 years.
There are non-energy benefits to energy efficiency as well. It improves the thermal comfort of your home reducing the likelihood of falling sick. It increases disposable income, creates jobs in your community, reduces local air pollution, and increases asset values. What’s not to love?
Where to Start?
Your home presents the lowest hanging fruit. Buildings are responsible for ~20% of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions due to the longevity of the building stock and the equipment within them. If you’re working or learning from home, the number of energy-hungry devices within your home is likely to have grown. A traditional barrier to energy efficiency has been the low salience of energy – energy data is not readily available, or if it is, it’s delayed (your monthly/quarterly electric bills) and hard to make sense of. Gaining visibility has traditionally meant the cost of an electrician to make a site visit, the inconvenience of wiring, and disruption of supply.
Fortunately, there is an easier way to gain visibility and insights to target your energy efficiency investments wisely. Advanced yet affordable solutions – like the Powersensor – avoid the cost/complexity of an electrician with a DIY, wireless setup to provide real-time visibility from the whole-of-house level down to individual appliances and solar generation. Armed with that holistic, granular, and real-time visibility, it’s easier to persistently lower grid consumption, avoid costs, and lower emissions by changing energy-inefficient habits, and appliances. Not to mention, switching to lower-cost, carbon-neutral energy plans.
For example, if you are one of the c.3 million Australian households with solar, you probably have realised that you earn 7-8c selling your energy and pay 3 to 4 times that to buy energy from the grid. Visibility, as described above, will help you optimise your solar self-consumption and will improve the ROI on your solar investment.
In short, it’s now easier than ever to do the right thing for the planet and your household budget.
That said, the Powersensor brains trust is hard at work making it even easier to magnify and diversify the benefits.
Our Experience Designers are working to turn energy data into insights that are more relevant and engaging – for better choices and more energy-efficient outcomes.
Our Embedded Engineers are extending the solution to where the industry is going: home energy storage systems (batteries), electric vehicles, and community microgrids – an exciting area in home energy management and control which will orchestrate energy flows within and between your home, community, and grid to automate footprint reduction and savings.
Our Marketing Specialists will share the real-life stories and energy efficiency journeys of people like you.
More Information
There is lots of useful information on smart ways to improve your energy efficiency. Check out the following links: