Energy conservation and energy efficiency are two concepts you’ll hear about when looking into cutting down your energy use and associated emissions. You may be wondering: “What is the difference?” Let's take a closer look at these two approaches for reducing energy use.
The first approach, energy conservation, focuses on behavior changes to reduce or prevent the use of energy. It usually costs little to nothing to carry out these changes, so you can begin conserving energy today! Examples of energy conservation are:
- Turning off lights when you leave a room
- Washing your laundry in cold water
- Air drying your clothing and dishes
- Unplugging electronics when not needed to avoid vampire energy
- Or decreasing the temperature setpoint on a water heater.
The second approach, energy efficiency, focuses on using energy more wisely. By making improvements to existing equipment or investing in newer, more efficient technology, you can decrease the amount of energy required to run your home or business at the same level of production.
Though this may require initial spending, it can lead to cost savings in the long run. While certain energy efficiency measures may overlap with energy conservation, examples of energy efficiency typically include:
- Installing LED lighting throughout your home
- Updating showerheads with low-flow models
- Upgrading your home’s windows with ENERGY STAR®- qualified windows
- Replacing your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system with a high efficiency unit or
- Adding insulation or radiant barriers to your attic and walls to reduce the load on your furnace or air conditioner.
Both energy conservation and energy efficiency are important pieces of the puzzle when it comes to reducing energy use and our reliance on energy sources. Implementing these strategies can help us all reduce our carbon footprint, while also saving us money in the long run!
Learn More
Visit our Home Energy webpage to explore more ideas on how to save energy and money at home.