Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability 1

of cogeneration units or microturbines about the size ofarefrigerator. They run on natural gas or liquefied petroleumgas (LPG) to produce heat and electricity forbusinesses, small apartment buildings, neighborhoodgroups of four or five energy-efficient houses, andsmall government facilities such as police stations. In6–8 years, they pay for themselves in saved fuel andelectricity.■ Heat water more efficiently. One way to do thisis to use a tankless instant water heater (about the sizeof a small suitcase) fired by natural gas or LPG butnot by electricity. These devices, widely used in manyparts of Europe, heat water instantly as it flowsthrough a small burner chamber, provide hot wateronly when it is needed, and cost 30–50% less to heatwater than traditional heaters.* They cost 2–4 timesmore than conventional water heaters, but savemoney because they last 3–4 times longer and costless to operate than conventional tank heaters.A well-insulated, conventional natural gas orLPG water heater is also fairly efficient. But all conventionalnatural gas and electric resistance heaterswaste energy by keeping a large tank of water hot allday and night and can run out after a long shower ortwo—like running your car all night until you drive it.■ Use energy-efficient appliances.** Since 1978 theDepartment of Energy (DOE) has set federal energyefficiencystandards for more than 20 appliances usedin the United States, and similar programs exist in43 other countries. A 2001 study by the NationalAcademy of Sciences found that between 1978 and2000, the $7 billion spent by the DOE on this programsaved consumers more than $30 billion in energy costsand provided environmental benefits valued conservativelyat $60–80 billion.If all households in the United States used themost efficient frost-free refrigerator now available,18 large (1,000-megawatt) power plants could close.Microwave ovens can cut electricity use for cookingby 25–50% (but not if used for defrosting food).Clothes dryers with moisture sensors cut energy useby 15%, and front-loading washers use 50% less energythan top-loading models but cost about the same.■ Use energy-efficient lighting. Americans spend abouta quarter of their electricity budget on lighting. But*They work very well. I used them in a passive solar office andliving space for 15 years. Models are available for $500–1,000from companies such as Rinnai, Bosch, Takagi, and Envirotech.For information visit http://foreverhotwater.com.**Each year the American Council for an Energy-EfficientEconomy (ACEEE) publishes a list of the most energy-efficientmajor appliances mass-produced for the U.S. market. A copycan be obtained from the council at 1001 Connecticut AvenueNW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036, or on its website athttp://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/index.htm.many do not realize that they could cut these costs30–60% by replacing energy-wasting incandescentbulbs and halogen torchiere bulbs (which because oftheir high heat output have caused fires and increasedair conditioning costs) with much more efficientfluorescent bulbs. They cost $5–10 but last6–10 times longer than an incandescent and pay forthemselves in a year or two. Three-way and dimmableversions are now available (see http://www.tcpi.com). Replacing 25 incandescent bulbs in a house orbuilding with energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs typicallysaves about $1,125. What a great investmentpayoff.Students in Brown University’s environmentalstudies program showed that the school could savemore than $40,000 per year just by replacing the incandescentlight bulbs in exit signs with compactfluorescent bulbs. What is your school doing to saveelectricity and money in lighting?However, these and other fluorescent bulbscontain toxic mercury than when discarded cancontaminate landfills and groundwater or get into theatmosphere if incinerated. A Florida company collectsused bulbs and extracts the toxic mercury for reuse.Within the next two decades, both incandescentand fluorescent bulbs may be replaced by even moreefficient white-light LEDs (light-emitting diodes) andorganic LEDs (OLEDs). Westinghouse is selling a 20-watt LED bulb with a light output equal to a 100-wattincandescent bulb. It costs $40, but saves money becauseit lasts 80 times longer than incandescents (seehttp://westinghouselighting.com).■ Cut off electrical devices when not using them. Cuttingoff lights, computers, TVs, and other applianceswhen they are not needed and cutting off their instant-onfeature can make a big difference in energyuse and bills. At 9 P.M. one weekday evening, majorTV stations in Bangkok, Thailand, cooperated withthe government in showing a dial that gave the city’scurrent use of electricity. Viewers were asked to turnoff unnecessary lights and appliances. They thenwatched the dial register a 735-megawatt drop inelectricity use—a decrease equal to the output of twomedium-sized coal-burning power plants. This visualexperience showed individuals that reducing theirunnecessary electricity use could cut their bills andclose down power plants.■ Set strict energy-efficiency standards for new buildings.Building codes could require new houses use 60–80%less energy than conventional houses of the same size,as has been done in Davis, California. Because oftough national energy-efficiency standards, the averagehome in Sweden consumes about one-third asmuch energy as the average American home of thesame size.390 CHAPTER 18 Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy