The Energy We Overlook

Prevailing misconceptions about energy efficiency have misled policymakers about the potential for energy conservation in the U.S. and other advanced economies. Since the 1970s, policymakers have wrongly assumed that the U.S. economy runs at a fairly high level of efficiency, using 47.5 percent of the energy it produces.

The Bush administration has argued that only massive increases in energy production can ensure continued economic growth. But according to Ayres, our energy efficiency is so low that deep cuts in consumption are possible without jeopardizing current living standards. Ayres predicts that appropriate government policies, fully compatible with a free market energy economy, could reduce energy use by 50 percent or more by mid-century, while reducing carbon emissions by 75 percent.

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