Save energy, save money, save oil, save the planet

Reading this blog you'll be aware that by profession and conviction, I believe that nuclear power is going to be a very important energy source for the human race this century.  But I am also pretty certain that renewables are going to be important, and I am HIGHLY aware that for the best future we can have, we should use energy much more efficiently.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) thinks so too.

Energy Efficiency Is The World’s Most Important “Fuel,” IEA Says In New Report

Here's the press release from the IEA:
From hidden fuel to the world's first fuel?

Talking points: 

• From 2005 to 2010, efficiency measures saved the energy equivalent of USD 420 billion worth of oil in a group of 11 IEA member countries.
• Had it not been for energy efficiency measures implemented in past years, consumers in those 11 IEA member countries would now be consuming – and thus paying for – about two-thirds more energy than they currently use.
• In 2010 in those countries, the energy savings from efficiency measures exceeded the output from any other single fuel source. That year, the 11 IEA economies avoided burning 1.5 billion tonnes of oil equivalent thanks to efficiency improvements developed since 1974. By comparison, in 2010 those same economies consumed about 1 billion tonnes of oil equivalent from assets developed over the same period.

Pretty impressive numbers.

"The report notes that two key factors have driven the recent growth of the energy efficiency market: effective policies and the high price of energy."

Imagine what the USA could do if there was a war level effort to make our society more energy-efficient across all the economic strata.  Imagine what we could do if people believed this was so important that it should be done.

Even though we need nuclear energy, I'm in.  Who's with me?

“Energy efficiency has been called a ‘hidden fuel’, yet it is hiding in plain sight,” stated IEA executive director Maria van der Hoeven. “Indeed, the degree of global investment in energy efficiency and the resulting energy savings are so massive that they beg the following question: is energy efficiency not just a hidden fuel but rather the world’s first fuel?”
Read more at http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/25/energy-efficiency-worlds-important-fuel-iea-says-new-report/#AEGmrsmbJWCVskqG.99

“Energy efficiency has been called a ‘hidden fuel’, yet it is hiding in plain sight,” stated IEA executive director Maria van der Hoeven. “Indeed, the degree of global investment in energy efficiency and the resulting energy savings are so massive that they beg the following question: is energy efficiency not just a hidden fuel but rather the world’s first fuel?”
Read more at http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/25/energy-efficiency-worlds-important-fuel-iea-says-new-report/#AEGmrsmbJWCVskqG.99

“Energy efficiency has been called a ‘hidden fuel’, yet it is hiding in plain sight,” stated IEA executive director Maria van der Hoeven. “Indeed, the degree of global investment in energy efficiency and the resulting energy savings are so massive that they beg the following question: is energy efficiency not just a hidden fuel but rather the world’s first fuel?”
Read more at http://cleantechnica.com/2013/10/25/energy-efficiency-worlds-important-fuel-iea-says-new-report/#AEGmrsmbJWCVskqG.99