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Quite a lot of Americans do not consider efficiency as the most effective way of cutting down energy consumption. A new survey proposes that people may be lacking knowledge in the amount of energy required by appliances and other activities, resulting in poor choices when it comes to energy conservation. Education can help consumers to make smart decision to save energy because there is a large gap in knowledge and reality. An example is Americans assume that by shutting off lights they are saving energy, but they may not consider the significant energy savings from utilizing energy efficient equipment like using fluorescent light bulbs and behaviors.

The report said participants concentrated more on cutting back rather then efficiency, which could be due to, improvements involved research, time, effort and unexpected costs (e.g. buying a new energy efficient appliance). Curtailing was easier to implement without affecting one’s daily schedule or without any upfront costs. People were asked to conserve energy, what would be the single most effective thing they would do. 55% of the respondents named, reducing energy consumption like less driving, as the most effective way while 11.7 % choose efficiency. The survey also asked them to guess how much energy was used by nine devices and energy saved by six household activities. Continue reading →