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Image
Sunset View of Elder Park, the Riverside Precinct and the Torrens Lake, Adelaide, South Australia.

As part of Adelaide's commitment to net zero by 2025(link is external), the city is powering its municipal operations with 100% renewable energy, making buildings more energy efficient, investing in energy storage technology, harnessing biogas from wastewater treatment plants, promoting the uptake of hybrid and electric vehicles, and promoting more cycling and walking. 

Credit: Artie Photography (Artie Ng) / Getty Images

Efficiency

Call to action:

Cut energy and materials use to reduce emissions, stabilize the climate, improve quality of life, and benefit economies and ecosystems.

Energy efficiency has been called “the first fuel(link is external)”: the fuel that doesn’t have to be used at all. Reducing total energy supply (and therefore demand) by ten percent by 2030(link is external) is necessary to reach net zero carbon by 2050. We can achieve this goal by decreasing the amount of energy and material needed for buildings, transport, agriculture, industry, and the Internet, but the pace of improvement needs to double. One study showed that with renewables, the UK could reduce energy demand by fifty percent by 2050 while bettering quality of life(link is external). Technical gains(link is external), such as solar panel innovations, smart buildings, and LED lighting, have greatly enhanced energy and material efficiency. Design changes can increase efficiency(link is external) just as much. In addition, behavioral change– both individual and collective– is needed so that technical gains can keep pace with growing demand. Behavioral change in developed countries can have five times the impact(link is external) of behavioral change in countries with less access to energy. By building energy and material efficiency into our technology, designs, and decisions, we can improve lives as we keep the climate habitable.

Nexus Rating SystemBeta

Solutions to the climate emergency have unique social and environmental effects, positive and negative. To develop a broader understanding of the solutions in Nexus, we rate each solution on five criteria.

Sources for each Nexus are graded numerically (-3 through 10), and the average is displayed as a letter grade. You can explore each source in depth by clicking “view sources” below. For more information, see our Nexus Ratings page.

Efficiency
8.50
0.00
0.00
0.00
7.80

Efficiency

Culture
N/R
Women
N/R
Biodiversity
N/R
Carbon
B+

Action Items

Individuals

Learn the drivers of energy demand and the levers that lower energy intensity. Energy intensity(link is external), often defined as the amount of energy per unit of gross domestic product, is falling. But electricity demand(link is external) is rising worldwide, primarily driven by five technologies—electric vehicles, heat pumps, electrolyzers for green hydrogen, data centers, and air conditioning. The first three are essential to transition away from fossil fuels, and all need to be as efficient as possible to offset the growth in demand. Levers(link is external) for improving total energy efficiency include electrification and improving industrial and building practices. Reducing our demand for energy and materials not only helps cut emissions, it saves lives by decreasing air pollution(link is external).

  • Focusing on technical efficiency alone is insufficient because of the Jevons paradox(link is external), or rebound effect, in which greater efficiency leads to increased resource use. In 1865, William Stanley Jevons noticed that as steam engines used coal more efficiently, more coal was used, not less, because more could be done with a ton of coal. This paradox arises in many areas(link is external): electric car users drive farther than those that require gas; LED lighting is much more efficient than conventional, so it is used for enormous Christmas displays. Our individual and collective decisions are thus essential to driving down energy demand.
  • Switching from fossil fuels to renewables(link is external) is more efficient because burning fossil fuels for energy creates a lot of waste heat. Electric vehicles and heat pumps are much more efficient than internal combustion engines and gas boilers, and renewables are more efficient(link is external) than fossil fuel energy production. See Electrify Everything Nexus.
  • About thirty percent of people globally rely on inefficient open fires that lead to deforestation(link is external), produce black carbon, pollute homes, and are dangerous. Clean cookstoves(link is external) solve all these problems while reducing energy needs by nearly sixty percent. See Clean Cookstoves Nexus.

Buy electric vehicles (EVs) rather than internal combustion engines (ICEs), and buy the smallest car that fits your needs. EVs convert energy into motion more efficiently than ICEs, so a comparably sized EV requires less energy(link is external) than an ICE. Pickups and SUVs are available, as well as sedans. But larger EVs(link is external) require more electricity, larger batteries, and more material (so more mining) than smaller ones. The U.S. Department of Energy rates the energy efficiency of EVs(link is external), and several sites rate the top 10(link is external) or 20 vehicles(link is external) in the U.S. See Electric Vehicles Nexus.

Enroll in a demand response program if your utility offers it, and time your energy use for off-peak times. Demand response programs(link is external) reward energy reduction during peak energy events, usually without penalty if you do not reduce energy. The energy savings from these programs can reduce the need for fossil-fuel peaker plants and prevent blackouts(link is external). Charge laptops, phones, and anything else with a battery overnight or in the morning, and pre-cool your house on cool summer mornings to reduce afternoon AC use.

Make energy-reduction decisions ordinary. Simple measures(link is external) helped reduce Italy’s and Germany’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels during the 2022 energy crisis. Setting your thermostat(link is external) to 68°F in winter (lower at night) and 78°F in summer (higher when you’re away) can reduce your demand without sacrificing comfort, especially if you use fans to keep air moving. Line-drying clothes(link is external) saves energy and helps clothes last longer. According to the Department of Energy, switching all the planet’s lights (including fluorescent) to LEDs could save 569 TWh of energy annually(link is external). Driving the speed limit(link is external) and minimizing aggressive acceleration and braking are safer and more energy efficient.

Build good internet and gaming habits. Digital technology is responsible for an increasing share(link is external) of greenhouse gas emissions, and personal digital use is responsible for about a third of that(link is external). Decluttering your email(link is external), reducing your email newsletter subscriptions, minimizing device upgrades(link is external), and not streaming music (or especially videos you’re not paying attention to) can all help. Video games are one of the most energy-intensive home uses of electricity(link is external), and consoles use a surprising amount of materials(link is external). Reducing cloud gaming, shutting down your computer or console when not in use, and using efficient hardware all help(link is external).

If you use cryptocurrency, choose a proof-of-stake instead of a proof-of-work currency. Both types of crypto(link is external) require electricity to function, but proof-of-stake currencies like Ethereum require less than one ten-thousandth the energy of proof-of-work currencies like Bitcoin–which pulls more power(link is external) than all the refrigerators in the U.S.

Groups

Homeowners and Landlords

Replace appliances with electrical instead of gas appliances—and buy the most efficient ones possible. Gas appliances(link is external) create waste heat and noxious fumes, which are bad for efficiency, the environment, and your health. Replace gas heaters and traditional air conditioners with heat pumps, gas cook stoves with induction stoves, and gas water heaters(link is external) with electric, solar(link is external), or heat pump(link is external) types. Many governments have labeling programs(link is external), such as Energy Star(link is external) in the US, to help you find the most efficient models, and they may be cheaper(link is external) than less efficient appliances. Your utility(link is external) may also offer assistance. See Heat Pumps Nexus, Electrify Everything Nexus, and Buildings Nexus.

Make sure your building is weatherproofed, insulated, and has efficient windows. Caulking, insulating, and using double- or even triple-paned(link is external) windows reduce heating(link is external) and AC(link is external) bills—and good windows keep the building quieter.

When you replace your roof, make it a cool one. Cool roofs(link is external) are typically light-colored. They reflect sunlight and shed absorbed heat efficiently. Not only do they cool individual houses, but they can also reduce the heat island effect(link is external). The Million Cool Roofs Challenge(link is external) demonstrated up to 20°F cooler inside air in Indonesia.

Farmers and Ranchers

Manage fertilizer and cattle feed for maximum growth and minimum emissions. Overuse of fertilizer increases nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas 265 times more powerful(link is external) than CO2 that also depletes the ozone layer(link is external). Agricultural activities account for nearly eighty percent of US human N2O emissions(link is external), which are increasing at a rate in line with the worst-case (link is external)warming scenario.

Update animal housing, irrigation pumps, and cooling equipment to increase energy efficiency. US National Resource Conservation Service has calculators(link is external) to help you see how much you could save from renovating.

Try an electric tractor. Monarch(link is external), Kubota(link is external), and New Holland(link is external) manufacture small-to-midsize all-electric tractors. Monarch’s has bidirectional charging, serving as a portable generator. John Deere is ramping up(link is external) to produce a range of tractors and construction equipment. CNH is producing an electric front-loader(link is external).

Companies

Utilities and Community Choice Aggregators

Implement demand response programs and other load-shifting strategies. Demand response programs(link is external) and load shifting(link is external) smooth the “duck curve(link is external)” (the timing mismatch between renewable supply and energy demand) and reduce the need for fossil fuel peaker plants(link is external). Time-of-use(link is external) pricing charges more for more expensive/less renewable energy. Load shifting(link is external) moves energy demand to times when renewable energy is more abundant. Load shifting should take efficiency into account(link is external) to reduce emissions since some loads are actually less efficient at certain times.

Make grids and infrastructure more flexible and robust. Streamlined grid tie-ins must keep pace with solar adoption and grid-scale storage employed to decrease curtailment(link is external) (reducing generation so supply matches demand). Smart meters, thermostats, appliances(link is external), grid-interactive water heaters(link is external), and smart/bidirectional EV chargers(link is external) all make energy demand more flexible and reduce peak loads. See Energy Storage Nexus.

Use virtual power plants (VPPs) to coordinate energy use(link is external) among homes and businesses with smart thermostats, batteries, EVs, solar panels, and appliances. VPPs are another way to minimize the use of fossil-fuel peaker plants(link is external) and their emissions and costs.

Consider converting natural gas lines to a geothermal network. The conversion costs are comparable to replacing aging gas lines, creating highly efficient heating and cooling and a post-gas future for utilities(link is external). Twenty-five utilities, including Vermont Gas, are exploring geothermal in the Utility Networked Geothermal Collaborative(link is external), and Eversource(link is external) has completed a geothermal neighborhood in Massachusetts. See Geothermal Nexus.

Data Centers

Prioritize energy and water efficiency. Data center energy use is on track to double between 2022 and 2026, largely driven by artificial intelligence(link is external) (AI). It puts both Google and Microsoft on paths to miss their 2030 energy goals by significant margins. Jevons’ paradox is part of the problem: efficient methods for AI have been used not to reduce energy demand but to increase AI computing. Data center cooling also uses large amounts of water(link is external) and may use as much water as Denmark by 2027.

Construction

Construct grid-interactive efficient buildings. Buildings account for forty percent of energy use in the U.S. and 75% of its electricity(link is external). Efficient buildings have lower emissions and higher value(link is external)—up to a ten percent price premium. Grid-interactive buildings(link is external) can modify their energy use based on grid signals. If they include battery storage or solar panels, they may act as distributed energy resources(link is external) supplying a virtual power plant. Grid-interactive building technologies(link is external) integrate efficiency into heating, ventilation, cooling, lighting, and electronics systems, as well as into passive design elements like windows and envelope. They also incorporate building energy management systems(link is external) that monitor occupancy and energy use to adjust demand. A building management system that lowered energy use by 21%(link is external), combined with onsite solar, enabled an Asea Brown Boveri manufacturing facility to be carbon neutral.

Use integrative design for buildings and retrofits. Integrative design(link is external) plans buildings as whole systems, creating synergies that reduce energy needs by large margins and streamline construction. See Buildings Nexus.

Industry

Maintain heat exchangers and replace aging heat exchangers with efficient ones. Poorly maintained heat exchangers—in data centers, facilities, and many buildings’ heating and cooling systems—may account for up to 2.5% of greenhouse gas emissions(link is external). Exchanger design can facilitate maintenance and increase efficiency, and there are numerous methods(link is external) for cleaning them.

Decarbonize cement through materials efficiency and substitution. Cement and concrete produce CO2 mainly through heating limestone to drive off carbon and produce clinker. Multiple potential solutions exist(link is external), including building design, concrete reuse, substituting fly ash or other materials for clinker, and reformulating cement. See Green Cement Nexus.

Explore promising technologies for decarbonizing steel. Low-temperature(link is external) iron ore refining and using hydrogen or electrolysis to reduce iron have potential and are starting to be used at scale(link is external). Increasing the use of scrap iron(link is external) to make steel is a well-established way to make it more energy-efficient.

Use heat pumps for low-temperature chemical reactions. Heat pumps can be used for reactions up to 350° F(link is external), and the payback time is under two years in many chemical processes.

Integrate variable-speed motor upgrades with high-efficiency replacement motors. Improving industrial motor efficiency worldwide could cut global emissions by ten percent(link is external)—and pay for itself with lower energy bills(link is external). Although the highest-efficiency motors are more expensive, they save far more than their price in energy. Variable-speed motors that adjust to load are more efficient and last longer.

Governance

Institute ambitious policies that prioritize efficiency. Public policy should aim for an improvement (reduction) in energy intensity of four percent per year(link is external), doubling(link is external) current improvement. Energy efficiency(link is external) increases energy security, strengthens macroeconomics, reduces the need to build out energy infrastructure, and makes it easier to respond to disaster. It can also increase public revenues and decrease expenditures, especially when it leads to job creation(link is external). The International Energy Agency (IEA) has a policy toolkit(link is external) with ten best practices and recommendations for regulation, information, and incentives in five sectors.

Use regulations to reduce emissions and increase efficiency. Regulation is second(link is external) only to business opportunity in driving corporate behavior, and well-thought-out regulation provides businesses with a clear direction and a stable environment that encourages investment in green technology.

Invest in clean energy and efficiency. Renewable energy, public transit, and low-carbon vehicles are the top three investments(link is external) by governments. The United States’ Inflation Reduction Act(link is external) accounts for nearly 25% of clean energy investment globally, with Germany next. The IEA provides a browser with over 1600 financial policies(link is external).

Point the way to efficiency with public education campaigns. Messaging(link is external) should connect efficiency to national culture, be clear and consistent, and help citizens get support for energy-efficient actions.

Establish incentive and investment programs to help businesses and consumers produce and adopt efficient buildings and equipment.

Set minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) and combine them with labeling. MEPs have been called “one of the most widespread and effective tools of energy efficiency policy(link is external),” especially when combined with labels that enable consumers to compare easily. Cross-border cooperation enables countries to set standards at lower costs, with greater consistency for manufacturers and consumers. Ambitious policies have the most impact and are attainable: all end-user technologies have models that match or exceed the efficiency needed to reach net zero by 2050.

Municipalities

Change streetlights to LEDs with smart features.  LEDs save Los Angeles nearly forty percent in electricity use(link is external) and even more in costs. They also reduce maintenance, light pollution, and crimes like burglary and vandalism. Smart lighting(link is external) can further reduce costs by matching brightness to time of night or using motion sensors.

Partner with utilities to create district heating and cooling. District heating is a well-established technology that creates economies of scale(link is external). Different locales can use different methods(link is external) for space heating and/or cooling. HEET provides a municipal toolkit(link is external).

Update building codes. Efficient buildings powerfully reduce energy intensity and can reduce the heat island effect(link is external).

Learn

Read

Can the climate survive the insatiable energy demands of the AI arms race?(link is external)” by Dan Milmo, Alex Hern, and Jillian Ambrose / The Guardian

The Case for Industrial Energy Efficiency(link is external)” by the Energy Efficiency Movement

Energy Efficiency 2023(link is external) by the International Energy Agency

Energy Efficiency: The Clean Facts(link is external) by the Natural Resources Defense Council

Global Electricity Review 2024(link is external) by Malgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, Nicolas Fulghum, and Dave Jones / Ember

The final blog: Insights, impact, and next steps following five years of CREDS(link is external) by Nick Eyre / Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions

How big is the energy efficiency resource?(link is external) By Amory B. Lovins / Environmental Research Letters

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