It is important to differentiate energy efficiency from energy conservation and to be totally clear with these terms. Many people assume they mean the same thing, as they “lower the thermostat, switch off the lights and freeze in the dark”. They may even take it as “doing without”, but that is not it at all. Energy efficiency is ‘doing more with less’. It’s like saying the glass is half empty or half full; it is a matter of semantics. Hopefully, attitudes will change for the better.

Think about this: replacing your old water heater to a newer, smaller, wall-mounted model that works on demand will give you an average of 40% savings on your hot water heating costs during its lifetime. You may pocket a few hundred dollars of savings every year, but you also lower your energy usage and have endless hot water available as a bonus – all with zero impact on your current lifestyle.

Or how about this for another example: your partner hints that your once-cool avocado refrigerator looks a bit tired or doesn’t match the kitchen. You head to the nearest store to replace it with a newer model . Continued technological advances mean that your new fridge is likely to be 25% bigger and have more features, but it may also boast 5-times-lower energy consumption. This saves you a few hundred dollars in energy every year. Modern large electrical appliances offer a ROI of at least 20% a year.

These two examples show that homeowners don’t need to change their lifestyle or take a hit to their quality of life just to conserve energy. This is the essence of the energy efficiency concept and this site’s approach - doing more with less. At this peak, your lifestyle suffers no energy wastage. This is where energy consumption can only be reduced further by watching less TV or lowering the thermostat and wearing a sweater – in other words, when you reach the point of maximum energy efficiency, further conservation can only be achieved by doing without. 

It is a fact that North Americans are a privileged group with excessive energy demands. This makes it difficult to spread the conservation concept, especially when the terms are still unfamiliar. Perhaps a better approach is to start off with something easier and more financially enticing.