For many people, becoming green means saving money by lowering energy bills. However, being green through home energy efficiency also entails environmental protection.
Simply explained, energy efficiency is the practice of utilizing less energy to accomplish the same task while avoiding excessive energy bills and unneeded emissions. Many households and businesses use significantly more energy than is necessary.
Small modifications, such as turning off lights when not in use, washing laundry in cold water, and keeping cool in the summer with ceiling fans, can have a large impact. If every American family replaced only one incandescent light bulb with an energy-efficient LED bulb, the amount of pollution caused by fossil fuels would be reduced by 670,000 cars.
Even better, by reducing your energy consumption, you are contributing to environmental protection. The residential and commercial sectors account for roughly half of all energy usage in U.S. buildings, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Energy efficiency is undeniably important in combating climate change and safeguarding our environment.
Greenhouse gas emissions are produced when fossil fuels (gas, coal, and oil) are burned in power plants to generate electricity. Power plants will need to produce less electricity as a result of your decision to reduce your energy use, reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned every day.
Homes and businesses that use less energy get us closer to a greener, healthier planet. Reducing your energy consumption lowers the demand for fossil fuels and, as a result, lowers carbon dioxide levels in the environment.
You will save money by becoming energy efficient since you will:
Heat waves, droughts, rising sea levels, unusual weather patterns, and an increased risk of natural disasters are all consequences of climate change. Small changes like decreasing single-use plastics or installing low-flow water systems can make a big difference.
Purchasing products with minimal packaging, recycling half of your household waste, reusing water bottles and plastic bags, or simply adjusting the heating and cooling systems in your home while you’re sleeping at night or away during the day can all help to reduce fossil fuel emissions and protect our ecosystems.
When there is less demand for energy, there is less need to extract fossil fuels. Here are some simple methods to save money at home:
- Laundry loads should be full.
- Only run the dishwasher until it’s completely full.
- While brushing your teeth, turn off the faucet.
- Create a compost heap.
- Using a watering calculator, create a lawn watering schedule.
- Install water-saving appliances and showerheads and collect rainwater.
Water-saving practices, such as not dumping of household chemicals/cleaning agents down the sink or toilet and avoiding the use of a garbage disposal, can help:
- Reduce the amount of water diverted from our rivers, bays, and estuaries.
- Costs of water and wastewater treatment should be reduced.
NHSaves, a collaboration of Eversource, Liberty Utilities, New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, and Unitil, also offers incentive programs to assist you make your house more energy efficient, save money, and help the environment.
What are the environmental advantages of conserving electricity?
One of the quickest and most cost-effective methods to save money, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, generate jobs, and meet rising energy demand is to use energy more efficiently. Among the several advantages of energy efficiency are:
- Increased efficiency can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other pollutants, as well as water consumption.
- Economic: Improving energy efficiency can help stabilize power prices and volatility by lowering individual utility bills, creating jobs, and lowering individual utility bills.
- Utility System Benefits: Energy efficiency can reduce overall electricity consumption, minimizing the need to invest in new electricity generating and transmission infrastructure in the long run.
- Energy efficiency can also help utility resource portfolios diversify and can be a hedge against the instability of shifting fuel prices.
What is the environmental impact of utilizing electricity?
Almost every component of the energy system has an environmental impact, and the magnitude of these effects is determined by how and where electricity is generated and supplied. The following are some examples of environmental effects:
- Emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants into the atmosphere, particularly when a fossil fuel is burned.
- Water resources are used to generate steam, provide cooling, and perform other tasks.
- Pollution discharges into bodies of water, particularly thermal pollution (water that is hotter than the original temperature of the water body).
- Solid waste generation, which may contain hazardous trash.
- Fuel production, power generating, and transmission and distribution lines all require land.
- Effects on plants, animals, and ecosystems as a result of the above-mentioned affects on air, water, waste, and land.
Some of these environmental consequences may have an impact on human health, especially if they expose individuals to toxins in the air, water, or soil.
- Learn more about how the environment might affect human health by visiting the EPA’s Learn the Issues section.
- Learn more about the environmental consequences of each segment of the power system by visiting the centralized generation, distributed generating, and electricity distribution sections.
The environmental impact of the power you use is determined by the generation sources (or “electricity mix”) available in your location. Visit the EPA’s Power Profiler to discover more about the emissions produced by the electricity you use.
By purchasing green energy and being more energy-efficient, you may lessen the environmental impact of your electricity usage. Learn more about how to lessen your environmental effect.
Several measures, in general, can assist lessen the negative environmental impacts connected with energy generation, including:
- Efficiency in terms of energy use. Energy-efficient technologies and practices can help end-users meet some of their needs. Energy efficiency is a resource that minimizes the requirement to create electricity in this regard. Learn more about how to save energy.
- Centralized, clean generation. By enhancing generation efficiency, adding pollution controls, and utilizing cleaner energy supply alternatives, new and existing power plants can lessen environmental impacts. More information about centralized generation can be found here.
- Distributed generation that is clean. Distributed generating, such as distributed renewable energy, can aid in the delivery of clean, dependable power to clients while also lowering electricity losses along transmission and distribution lines. More information about distributed generating can be found here.
- Heat and power from a single source (CHP). CHP, also known as cogeneration, generates both electricity and heat from the same fuel source. CHP is both distributed generation and a form of energy efficiency because it uses heat that would otherwise be lost. Find out more about CHP.
What happens if we reduce our use of electricity?
Saving energy decreases pollutants in the air and water and conserves natural resources, resulting in a healthier living environment for everyone. Efficiency saves money and creates jobs at the same time.
What are the benefits of reducing electricity consumption?
Although it may not be immediately apparent, there is a clear link between your energy consumption and the environment. When you use less energy, you help to limit the quantity of hazardous fumes generated by power plants, save natural resources, and protect ecosystems. You may help to make the planet a better and happier place by reducing your energy intake.
How does judicious use of electricity help to prevent pollution?
Traditional electricity power plants are thermal power plants that generate electricity through the combustion of fossil fuels. There is a lot of pollutants produced during this burning.
Why is it critical to use power responsibly?
Electric energy allows us to live a very pleasant life, but we must keep in mind that energy is a limited resource. Furthermore, the global environmental crisis has become a shared responsibility for all of us, and we are all expected to use energy wisely in our daily lives. This isn’t a really difficult task.
With a little caution, you can save energy without any difficulty. Using energy properly can even help you save money on your power bill. Two key worldwide challenges are judicious use of energy and efficient energy conservation. We seek for your help in the area of “energy conservation.”
What is the impact of wasting energy on the environment?
Air pollution, climate change, water pollution, thermal pollution, and solid waste disposal are all environmental issues directly tied to energy production and consumption. The principal source of urban air pollution is the production of air pollutants from the combustion of fossil fuels.
Is there a link between electricity and global warming?
Plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow, and some of this carbon is stored as aboveground and belowground biomass throughout their lives. Depending on how the soil is managed and other environmental variables, soils and dead organic matter/litter can also store some of the carbon from these plants (e.g., climate). Biological carbon sequestration refers to the storage of carbon in plants, dead organic matter/litter, and soils. Biological sequestration is often known as a carbon “sink” since it removes CO2 from the atmosphere and stores it in these carbon pools.
CO2 emissions or sequestration, as well as CH4 and N2O emissions, can occur as lands are managed in their current use or changed to different land uses. As cropland is turned to grassland, lands are cultivated for crops, or woods expand, carbon dioxide is exchanged between the atmosphere and the plants and soils on land. Furthermore, using biological feedstocks (such as energy crops or wood) for purposes such as electricity generation, as inputs to liquid fuels production processes, or as construction materials can result in emissions or sequestration.
Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) activities in the United States have resulted in greater CO2 removal from the atmosphere than emissions. As a result, the LULUCF sector in the United States is seen as a net CO2 sink rather than a supplier. The contrary is true in many parts of the world, particularly in countries where huge portions of forest land are destroyed, frequently for agricultural uses or towns. The LULUCF industry can be a net source of greenhouse gas emissions in these conditions.
- The Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry chapter of the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks contains more national-level data on land use, land-use change, and forestry. See also the USFS Resource Update for more information on emissions and sequestration from forest land and urban trees in settlement zones.
- See the EPA’s Worldwide Greenhouse Gas Emissions website and the Contribution of Working Group III to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report for further information on global emissions from land use and forestry activities.
* CO2 emissions and sequestration are reported in the Inventory under the Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry sector. Land use and management operations in the LULUCF sector also result in methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. In the Energy sector, there are further emissions from CH4 and N2O.
What impact does energy use have on climate change?
Global climate change is posing increasingly serious threats to ecosystems, human health, and the economy. Climate change, impacts, and vulnerability in Europe 2016, a recent EEA report, demonstrates that Europe’s regions are already experiencing the effects of a changing climate, such as rising sea levels, more extreme weather, flooding, droughts, and storms.
Large volumes of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere as a result of numerous human activities around the world, the most important of which being the burning of fossil fuels for energy generation, heating, and transportation. Combustion of fossil fuels emits pollutants into the atmosphere that are harmful to the environment and human health.
Energy use is by far the main source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities on a global scale. Burning fossil fuels for energy for heating, power, transportation, and industry accounts for almost two-thirds of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. Energy processes are also the major emitters of greenhouse gases in Europe, accounting for 78 percent of total EU emissions in 2015.
Our energy use and production have a significant impact on the climate, and the opposite is becoming increasingly true. Climate change has the ability to modify our energy generation capacity as well as our energy requirements. Changes in the water cycle, for example, have an impact on hydropower; warmer temperatures, for example, increase the energy demand for cooling in the summer while lowering the demand for heating in the winter.
Global and European commitment to action
The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, was the culmination of previous global efforts to reduce climate change. 195 countries signed the pact, making it the first-ever universal and legally binding global climate agreement. The agreement’s goal of limiting global average temperature rise to far below 2 degrees Celsius, with a goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius, is ambitious and impossible to fulfill without a significant redesign of global energy production and use.
As part of its overall efforts to transition to a low-carbon economy and decrease greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95 percent by 2050, the EU has established binding climate and energy targets for 2020 and suggested targets for 2030 to support the global climate agenda. The first set of climate and energy goals for 2020 comprises a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (relative to 1990 levels), a 20% increase in renewable energy consumption, and a 20% increase in energy efficiency. According to current recommendations in EU institutions, the next milestone of 2030 will push these targets to a 40% reduction in emissions, a 27% increase in renewable energy, and a 27% improvement in energy efficiency (or 30%, as recently proposed by the European Commission) when compared to baseline.
Decline in overall emissions
The actions taken to meet these goals are helping to reduce Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions. The EU’s greenhouse gas emissions were around 22% lower in 2015 than they were in 1990. They had reduced in all major industries, with the exception of transportation and refrigeration and cooling. The majority of emission reductions were distributed practically evenly between the industrial and energy supply sectors over this time period.
The EU is on pace to meet its 2020 ambitions, according to latest EEA assessments on greenhouse gas emissions and energy (Trends and predictions in Europe 2016). Beyond 2020, the rate of reductions is predicted to slow, and more effort will be required to fulfill the long-term goals. Despite improved car fuel efficiency and increased use of biofuels, decreasing overall transportation emissions in the EU has proven to be extremely challenging. Some technological options, such as second-generation biofuels and carbon capture and storage, are projected to help to overall climate efforts, but it is unknown whether they will be viable and truly sustainable in the long run if adopted at the scale required.
Effort Sharing Decision and EU Emissions Trading System
The Effort Sharing Decision, which establishes mandatory yearly greenhouse gas emission targets for all EU Member States for 2020, is one of the cornerstones of the European Union’s efforts in this area. The decision applies to sectors such as transportation, construction, agriculture, and garbage, which account for roughly 55 percent of the EU’s total emissions. The national emission targets were determined based on the relative wealth of Member States, which means that wealthier countries must decrease their emissions more than poorer ones, while some countries are allowed to raise their emissions from the sectors covered. The national targets will together result in a 10% decrease in total EU emissions from the sectors covered by 2020, compared to 2005 levels.
The EU Emissions Trading System regulates the remaining 45 percent of EU emissions (mostly from power plants and industrial facilities) (EU ETS). The EU ETS establishes a limit on the total amount of greenhouse emissions that can be produced by over 11 000 heavy energy consumers in 31 countries (). Emissions from airlines flying between these nations are also included.
Companies receive or acquire emission allowances, which they can trade with others, as part of the system. Companies that emit more than their allotments face stiff penalties. The system-wide cap is gradually dropped, lowering total emissions. The EU ETS incentivizes enterprises to identify the most cost-effective emission reductions and to invest in clean, low-carbon technologies by putting a monetary value on carbon.
The European Commission recently suggested speeding up emissions reductions starting in 2021, so that by 2030, the ETS-covered industries will have lowered their emissions by 43% compared to 2005. Looking beyond the 2030 objectives, EU Member States can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the sectors covered by the Effort Sharing Decision in the long run. Without significant efforts to target these industries, the EU will fall short of its 2050 goal of reducing emissions by 80% below 1990 levels.
Targeting sectors and ensuring long-term coherence
A wide range of measures and long-term initiatives support the EU’s emission reduction efforts tied to the Effort Sharing Decision and the EU ETS. Changes in land use, such as deforestation or afforestation, can, for example, have an impact on carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. In July 2016, the European Commission proposed legislation to incorporate greenhouse gas emissions and removals from the atmosphere caused by land use, land-use change, and forestry in the EU’s 2030 climate and energy framework.
Similarly, rising transportation demand has made it difficult to reduce emissions in this sector. To address this, the EU has proposed a number of transportation policy packages, including the European Strategy for Low-Emission Mobility and programs like Europe on the Move. Other issues, such as improving building energy efficiency or renewable energy, have lately been bolstered by a comprehensive package suggested in November 2016.
Long-term climate targets in the EU are incorporated into and supported by broader policy frameworks, such as the Energy Union Strategy, which strives to ensure long-term policy coherence. Investors, manufacturers, and consumers would be hesitant to adopt solutions that they may regard as hazardous investments if there was no clear policy vision and a strong political commitment over time.
Investment decisions shape the future
In essence, energy-related greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced in two ways: by choosing cleaner energy sources, such as replacing fossil fuels with non-combustible renewables, and/or by reducing overall energy consumption through energy savings and efficiency gains, such as improving home insulation or using greener transportation modes.
However, in order to avert the worst effects of climate change, this transition must occur quickly, far before fossil fuel stocks are depleted. The more greenhouse gases we put into the atmosphere, the less likely we are to limit climate change’s detrimental effects.
Given the gravity of the situation, the question becomes whether we are still investing in and planning to invest in fossil-fuel-based energy. Subsidies for a particular energy source can influence investment decisions. Subsidies and tax incentives have helped to promote renewable energy generation from solar and wind power in this way. This is also true for fossil-fuel investments, which are still subsidized in many countries.
Many investors have stated their plans to divest their interests from fossil-fuel-related operations in recent years. Some of these announcements were motivated by ethical concerns, while others questioned the financial viability of such investments in light of a cap on the total amount of greenhouse gases that can be released (often referred to as the “carbon budget”) in order to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
Power generating frequently necessitates huge investments, and once operational, a power plant is anticipated to operate for decades. Investments in conventional polluting technologies, both current and future, may actually impede the shift to clean energy sources. Such investments can lock up energy options and resources for decades, making it more difficult to adopt new solutions.
The EEA examined Europe’s existing and proposed fossil-fuel power facilities to identify this type of danger. According to the analysis, if existing plants are extended in service and new fossil-fuel-based plants are built in the next decades, the EU risks having significantly more fossil-fuel-based power generation capacity than it requires. To put it another way, some of these power facilities would have to be turned off in order to meet the EU’s climate goals.
Similar dangers of lock-in exist in other areas, such as transportation, where our mobility is heavily reliant on fossil-fuel-powered internal combustion engines, as well as continuous investments in traditional road transportation infrastructure. These factors combine to provide a barrier to transitioning to more environmentally friendly modes of transportation, which are critical for mitigating climate change, reducing air and noise pollution, and, ultimately, improving people’s quality of life.
It is not easy to solve the energy and climate dilemma, but many promising ideas are already in the works. The European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) recently released a report titled “Sustainability Transitions: Now for the Long Term,” which highlights some of the innovations in a variety of sectors that have the potential to reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. Food waste reduction, urban gardening, improved supply chains, and solar-powered air travel are all minor parts of a larger puzzle, but when put together, they show how creative technologies and practices may develop and pave the way for a larger shift in sustainability.
