Energy Efficiency and Renewable Resources

Energy Efficiency

What is energy efficiency? Basically, it’s all about doing more with less.  The majority of our homes, businesses and appliances waste a huge amount of electricity because they’re not efficient and don’t use modern, energy saving technology.  Improving energy efficiency is the best, fastest and cheapest way to meet our energy needs while reducing global warming pollution from power plants.

ELPC  is one of the lead partners in the Campaign for an Energy Efficient America -  a coalition that is pushing for national energy efficiency legislation that will save consumers over $168 billion in utility costs and create more than 200,000 jobs.  To learn more about energy efficiency and how to support the campaign, please visit www.energyefficiencyworks.org.

Why Is Energy Efficiency Important?

Energy production is one of the leading causes of global warming pollution as well as other health and environmental problems.  For far too long, the Midwest – and the U.S. as a whole – has been dependent on dirty fossil fuel energy sources for electricity generation. Reducing the amount of energy we use will reduce the amount of pollution we create.

With skyrocketing energy costs, improvements in energy efficiency – and reductions in energy usage – can not only reduce negative impacts to our environment and to our health, they can save us money! The more efficiently we use energy, the less we pollute and the more money we save. It’s as simple as that.

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy comes from the sun, wind, plants, the tides, and other sources. Harnessing energy from these sources is profoundly more environmentally-friendly than harnessing energy from non-renewable sources such as oil, natural gas and coal. When compared with the use of energy from traditional sources, renewable energy usage results in cleaner air, cleaner water, less harmful waste, and a generally healthier environment.

ELPC is working to pass a national Renewable Electricity Standard that would require the US to produce 25%  of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025.