Sunday, March 3, 2013

US lags in efficiency??!

The fact that the U.S. is the least energy efficient country in the world may be unbelievable, but it is a fact.  Every industry (manufacturing, transportation, residential, commercial, etc.) has aided in the wastefulness of this country, some more than others.  According to the U.S. Energy Administration, estimates show that the industrial sector consumes more energy every year than any other U.S. entity.  It has also established that energy use by the residential, transportation, and commercial sectors has drastically increased each year for the past 60 years, and it continues to rise.
Despite the growth of renewable energy sources, the bulk of power in the US is still produced using coal, petroleum, and natural gas, which tend to lead to inefficiency.  The New York Times published a study in 2008 that calculated the main causes of energy waste.  It estimated that 71 percent of energy generated for transportation is wasted, 66 percent is wasted in electricity, 20 percent is wasted in commercial and residential buildings, and 20 percent is wasted in industry or manufacturing.
A major culprit across all industries is heat waste, the byproduct of inefficient technology.

No comments: