Alliance to Save Energy - Promoting Energy Efficiency World Wide: News: Did You Know?

Consumer Attitudes About Energy Efficiency

An overwhelming majority of consumers – 92 percent – agree that business, government, and consumers have an equal responsibility to reduce energy use (Alliance to Save Energy, 2003 Consumer Market Research).
Consumers garner information on saving energy and reducing energy bills from a variety of sources – 45 percent review brochures or utility company information, 40 percent by word-of-mouth, and 39 percent look for the ENERGY STAR label on new products (Alliance to Save Energy, 2003 Consumer Market Research).
Eighty percent of American consumers agree that America needs to reduce oil imports (Alliance to Save Energy, 2003 Consumer Market Research).
According to a recent national survey, 86 percent of U.S. consumers say that wider availability and selection of fuel-efficient cars and SUVs would be very effective or somewhat effective in getting them and their families to reduce energy use (Alliance to Save Energy, 2003 Consumer Market Research).
According to estimates from the Energy Information Administration, in just two decades, U.S. energy consumption will increase by more than 25 percent - an amount equivalent to the energy used in California, Texas, New Jersey, and New York in a year (Alliance to Save Energy).

Energy Supply and Demand Facts

Improved energy efficiency and conservation since 1973 have reduced America's energy consumption by 50 percent (Alliance to Save Energy).
By 2015, residential energy use is expected to be nearly 15 percent higher than today (Alliance to Save Energy).
Over the next decade, U.S. motor gasoline consumption will increase by more than 10 percent. That increase alone would be enough to fuel nearly 9 percent of the rest of the world's motor fuel consumption (Alliance to Save Energy).

Gas/Fuel Economy Facts: $ave on the Road

Transportation accounts for 68 percent of the oil we consume in the United States and more than we produce. Currently, we import 60 percent of our oil supply – this number is projected to remain stable through 2030 (U.S. Department of Energy).
The United States consumes over 9 million barrels of gasoline daily - nearly 45 percent of global gasoline consumption (Alliance to Save Energy).
When buying a new vehicle, if everyone purchased one of the most efficient models in each vehicle class (passenger cars, SUVs, light trucks, minivans), Americans would save more than 20 billion gallons of gasoline in 10 years, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 53 million tons of Carbon equivalent, comparable to preserving 1.5 million acres of forest from deforestation (Alliance to Save Energy, U.S. Climate Technology Cooperation Gateway).
In 2007, SUV and minivan drivers will spend about $2,100 on gasoline, while passenger car drivers will spend about $1,540. Hybrid electric car drivers will spend about $830 (Alliance to Save Energy).
Americans driving passenger cars are paying $100 more for gas in 2007 than they did in 2006, while SUV and minivan owners pay about $140 more. But hybrid electric car drivers are paying only about $60 more for gas in 2007 than they did in 2006 (Alliance to Save Energy).
By the end of this decade, the number of hybrid vehicles on the road will nearly double and over 500,000 hybrid vehicles will be sold annually – that means about one in every 30 passenger vehicles sold will be a hybrid electric (Alliance to Save Energy).
Improvements in automobile efficiency since 1975 saved consumers $171 billion in 2005 alone - two and a half times what the federal government spends each year on education (Alliance to Save Energy).
SUV fuel costs per mile exceed those of passenger cars. In 2008, the fuel cost per mile for passenger cars will be about 12 cents, but the fuel cost for SUVs, minivans and pick ups will be over 16 cents per mile. Fuel cost per mile for hybrid electric vehicles will be less than 6.5 cents per mile (Alliance to Save Energy).
At 2007 gasoline prices ($2.80 per gallon), the difference between a car that gets 20 MPG (miles per gallon) and one that gets 30 MPG amounts to more than $2,500 over 5 years, assuming the car is driven 12,000 miles per year (Alliance to Save Energy).

Household Energy Facts: $ave at Home

Many idle electronics – TVs, VCRs, DVD and CD players, cordless phones, microwaves – use energy even when switched off to keep display clocks lit and memory chips and remote controls working. Nationally, these energy "vampires" use 5 percent of our residential electricity and cost consumers nearly $7 billion annually (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Alliance to Save Energy).
The average household spends about $2,100 each year on energy bills. By choosing ENERGY STAR-certified products, consumers can cut this by up to 30 percent, saving more than $600 each year (Energy Star, Alliance to Save Energy).
American households typically spend almost $230 annually on air conditioning. Households in some regions of the South can spend more than $400 annually (Alliance to Save Energy).
Over a room air conditioner's lifetime, only one-fourth of the total cost is for the purchase of the air conditioning unit. The greater cost – three-fourths – is for the energy to run the air conditioner. Energy expenditures account for more than half of the cost of a central air conditioner as well (Alliance to Save Energy).
Replacing old heating and cooling equipment with ENERGY STAR equipment can cut heating and cooling costs by 20 percent (ENERGY STAR).
"Sleep" features that power down computers that are turned on but not in use can save households up to $75 annually (ENERGY STAR).
About 90 percent of the energy used to wash clothes comes from heating the water. Using warm or cool water instead of hot will save money and energy and get clothes just as clean (U.S. Department of Energy).

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