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Energy conservation

Energy conservation has become an increasingly important topic of conversation as the environmental impact of energy usage has emerged. There are three different categories of energy sources: renewable, nonrenewable and nuclear. Currently, the United States generates electricity from all three sources. But the amounts of renewable energy sources used are disproportionate to the nonrenewable sources. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), approximately 9% of the electricity generated comes from renewable energy sources while nonrenewable sources account for about 71.5% of electricity generated. This leaves 19.5% to nuclear power plants for electricity.

As the industrialization of the earth has continued, so has the demand for electricity. Because renewable energy sources have not been developed and adopted as widely as the fossil fuels, the world is reaching a crucial time in which the resources of gas, oil and coal are going to be used completely. If there are not renewable sources of energy in place that can provide for the energy demands, humanity will be forced to live without electricity.

Energy conservation ideas focus on generating more power from renewable sources and making the items we use more efficient in their energy usage. By demanding less power to run things like air conditioners, dishwashers and other household items, the power that is being generated currently will last longer.

Renewable energy comes from natural resources that correlate with the basic classical elements of earth, air, fire and water. Geothermal energy is produced from the heat of the earth, wind power comes from wind itself, solar power harnesses the energy of the sun's rays hitting the earth and hydropower is generated through the use and movement of water. Additionally, there are new energy resources that come from vegetation, referred to as the biomass. All of these are considered renewable because they are using resources of the earth that are essentially of unlimited supply; the basic life cycles of the earth itself are constantly using and restoring all these energy sources.

In contrast, nonrenewable sources have limited supplies. Our largest percentage of energy use comes from fossil fuels such as gas, oil and coal, all of which are running out. These fossil fuels are found in the upper crust of the earth's surface, and their reserves are being used at a rate much faster than they're being replenished.

Nuclear power is the third category of electricity generation. However, it has many risks involved and is controversial because of the significant amount of nuclear waste and problems with acceptable disposal of the waste. Nuclear power plants have been responsible for some of the biggest human disasters in history, resulting in concerns regarding their use and existence and a current halt on plans to build any more.

The goal of energy conservation is reducing the need for consumption of energy services. The United States government has taken strides to alert its citizens of the energy crisis the earth is facing. Government organizations such as the EPA and Department of Energy have worked to provide awareness of things that can be done to conserve energy such as turning off lights when leaving rooms, unplugging appliances that are in standby modes and limiting water usage for cooking, hygiene and home maintenance practices.

An international standard for energy efficiency was created in the Energy Star program first unveiled as a program of the U.S. government in 1992. Since then, many countries have adopted the standards and there has been a big movement to improve existing homes with more energy efficient appliances while making them standard in new homes built.