Tuesday, October 7, 2008
These are tough economic times, and in times like these, businesses can’t afford to waste energy and drain their bottom lines from high energy bills. Smart businesses view their energy efficiency investments as a profit-center, argues ELPC President and Executive Director Howard Learner in his Southwest News Herald OpEd:
“Let’s face it. America’s economy is bad shape. Some will seize upon the troubled times to argue that we should cut back on investing in clean energy and environmental protection. But that’s the wrong direction both for today and for the future.
For today, energy efficiency makes even more sense in tight financial times. Businesses can’t afford to waste energy and drain their bottom lines from high energy bills, while causing more pollution to our environment. Improving energy efficiency is an investment that can achieve a healthy return. Smart businesses view their energy efficiency investments as a profit-center.”
Learn more at Howard’s blog here at elpc.org.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
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.
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.
What is ELPC Doing to Advance Energy Efficiency?
Energy efficiency is a key part of ELPC’s Clean Energy Program. Using America’s energy more efficiently will improve environmental quality and public health by reducing both the pollution from coal plants and the environmental, public health and safety risks from nuclear plants. Efficiency saves consumers money and is the fastest, cleanest and cheapest way to meet our energy needs.
ELPC’s overall goal is to accomplish a transition from the region’s current resource portfolio, currently comprised almost exclusively of nuclear and older coal-burning plants, toward a more diverse, more sustainable and less polluting portfolio including wind energy, biomass and energy efficiency.
Monday, October 6, 2008
ELPC Executive Director Howard Learner argues at the Chicago Huffington Post that the recent economic downturn should be pushing us to invest in clean energy. Investing in energy efficiency cuts wasteful spending on high energy bills and prevents added pollution.
“For today, energy efficiency makes even more sense in tight financial times. Businesses can’t afford to waste energy and drain their bottom lines from high energy bills, while causing more pollution to our environment. Improving energy efficiency is an investment that can achieve a healthy return. Smart businesses view their energy efficiency investments as a profit-center.”
Read the full post.
