There’s no substitution for success

Why should you care about energy efficiency in your home and workplace?

The answer to that is simple.  The small investment you make in energy efficiency improvements to your home and workplace improves your comfort, lowers your energy usage while preventing additional pollution.  Although there are other reasons such as energy independence…probably the most compelling reason is money. Energy efficiency will give you immediate, long lasting relief from high utility bills.           

Next to cost is the concern about a worldwide scarcity of resources. Oil and coal are not renewable sources of energy.   Even the most conservative of policy makers admit that the clock is ticking on our energy supply. The race is seemingly on to see if we develop alternative sources of renewable energy before we deplete fossil fuels.

If you have recently opened a newspaper, or listened to a news announcer, you know that we are in a perpetual energy crisis.  With all the emphasis generally on gas prices, you might believe that the only problem is transportation fuel. But experts have known all along gasoline is just one part of the problem.

Just like gasoline, heating and air conditioning costs have skyrocketed at record rates during the past decade or so.  Some of this is due to the deregulation of the electric industry. In some cases, it was simply the economics of supply and demand: more buildings and homes means a higher demand for energy, which drives prices up. 

Even if you do not use heating oil to fuel your furnace, oil prices have been a big factor in rising utility costs. Consider this: In the year 2000, Americans spent over $95 billion to heat and cool all the buildings in the United States.  These houses, businesses, churches and government offices all use energy for heating and cooling.  Although there are a variety of energy sources—coal, nuclear power, natural gas—oil still figures in the equation. Oil is the basic component in our heating fuels.  And even if you don’t heat with an oil product, it takes oil to create, convert, and transport the energy used in our buildings.  So just as oil for transportation impacts the price of milk, the cost of oil impacts all sources of energy. 

 Take all of these facts—economic forces, depleting resources, deregulation, rising fuel costs—and the result is record high utility costs.  Some consumers have seen a triple digit rise in utility rates over the last two or three years.  Just a few years ago, the average cost of heating a home was $600 for the entire winter. In some areas, it now costs $2400 to stay warm in the winter.  There is even evidence to prove that rising utility costs are a significant factor in the home mortgage crisis. 

Although the cost of energy is the most urgent reason for building-owners to consider energy efficiency, it is not the only issue.  It is a mistaken belief that energy efficiency means being uncomfortable.  Quite the opposite is true.  An energy efficient building will give you a more comfortable and healthier environment. 

Are You Comfortable? 

What is comfort and how do you define it?

Once you have experienced the comfort of an energy efficient environment there’s no substitution.