Growing Populations Means More Electricity Consumption

531 Words2 Pages

Many developed nations are undergoing massive efforts towards lowering the consumption of electricity, an effort that would not be sufficient unless people and industries will continue to use and develop more energy efficient technologies to offset the increased demand for energy due to a growing population.
In recent decades our societies became conscious about the need to preserve natural resources and to reduce energy consumption. Shifting from the conventional way of producing electricity to the renewable and sustainable energy generated from wind, solar, geothermal or nuclear, helps to drastically reduce the carbon emissions in the world.
A major area of developing new strategies in regards to reducing electrical energy consumption is targeted at the residential “lighting and appliances”. For example, our South Florida homes are mostly “all-electrical”, and multiple studies show that “lighting and appliances” usually account for over one quarter of the electrical energy consumption for an entire household. Only by switching from incandescent lighting bulbs to compact florescent ones, the electricity savings are in the range of more than half. Besides the immediate energy savings, it was demonstrated that even if “a compact florescent light bulbs may cost twice as much as an incandescent, it lasts ten times as long” (Lester, 81). Since the prices for the compact florescent lamps recently dropped due to technological advancements, it makes it easier for all of us to participate in conserving electricity use.
In regards to “appliances”, studies suggest that the use of television sets, video or audio systems, computers, refrigerator, cooking ranges, microwaves, washer and dryers account for more than half of the total household “lighting and appliances” energy consumption. In our country, regulatory agencies are getting involved in raising the standard for the new appliances, allowing only the production of appliances that meet new efficiency requirements. These agencies are also looking into regulating the small amount of current that is consumed by appliances when these are turned off. These are called “phantom loads” and appear in all appliances that are plugged in, even if the appliances are completely turned off. One can easily avoid this wasted electricity by unplugging the appliance when not in use. Studies estimate that “roughly five percent of US residential electricity use is from appliances in standby mode” (Lester, 86).
It is important to acknowledge that our school building and infrastructure were built to latest standards. As a student at FGCU, I observed that the building itself, parking lots, the dorms, sidewalks and roads infrastructure were developed in a very conscious and efficient way.

Open Document