Saving Energy

While clean energy is critical to society, one of the cleanest, most economical energy solutions is to use less energy in the first place. When less electricity is used, power plants emit fewer dangerous air pollutants and global warming gases. You also spend less money on electricity and fewer dollars leave Massachusetts to pay for coal, oil, and natural gas imports from other parts of the country and the world.

Energy efficiency represents the rare circumstance in which you can do something highly beneficial for society while personally benefiting financially, since many energy efficiency measures will end up saving you more money than they cost. For this reason, the starting point for those who care about clean energy will generally be to use energy more efficiently.

As a general strategy for cutting down on your energy use, focus on changes that you can implement one time and that will then automatically reduce your ongoing energy consumption. This is the most assured way of cutting down. For example, if you replace an incandescent lightbulb with a compact fluorescent, you will eliminate more than half of the pollution and electricity cost, and the new bulb will last for years without having to be changed.

• Ten Remarkably Easy Ways to Save Energy—and Money—at Home
• Your Most Important Energy-Efficiency Decisions