In contemporary Beijing, China, a 20-member “energy-saving police team” monitors office buildings, schools and hotels to make sure heating and cooling systems do not exceed government standards - colder than 79 degrees Fahrenheit (26C) in the summer or warmer than 68 degrees (20C) in the winter.
While these options are extreme, dozens of other countries from Japan to Sweden rely on softer, more effective approaches such as mandates, pricing incentives and educational programs to improve energy efficiency.
The point is that the country has far more energy efficiency potential than President Obama and his advisors seem to realise. This potential can be harnessed through regulatory changes from the top-down, and further enhanced by simple personal changes from the bottom-up.
Advertisement
Energy efficiency is an easy, if amazing resource, but it does not occur by immaculate intervention. We each need to play our own part in capturing it.
Discuss in our Forums
See what other readers are saying about this article!
Click here to read & post comments.
9 posts so far.
About the Authors
Marilyn A. Brown is professor of energy policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology, as well as a visiting distinguished scientist at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Her research interests include energy, innovation and climate policy.
Benjamin K. Sovacool is an assistant professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University Singapore. There, he researches issues relating to energy policy, the environment, and science and technology policy. Click here for a review of his most recent book, The Dirty Energy Dilemma: What's Blocking Clean Power in the United States.
reddit this
Del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
StumbleUpon
