Energy Sixth Sense

 "If it weren't for electricity, we'd all be watching television by candlelight."— George Gobel

In his article, We need an energy sixth sense to fight global warming, author Joseph Giacomin states that people need to develop a sixth sense about energy to really impact energy consumption.  

Where the focus has been on technological improvements, such as better insulation, LED lights, fuel efficient cars, etc., for reducing energy, Giacomin maintains that changing behavior is where the focus needs to be:  “Simple actions such as forgetting to turn off the heating when leaving home lead to heat losses that no amount of technology can prevent.” (Energy Sixth Sense)

How do we develop that sixth sense?  Ironically, Giacomin looks to technology.  Appliances with power cords that light up with varying colors to show the amount of electricity flowing through them, or thermostats with images showing energy use are a couple of examples. These gadgets are in the pipeline, along with others that help users visualize energy consumed by their IT equipment.

But why wait on technology to develop that sixth sense?  How about using a post-it note to remind yourself to turn off your computer at night?  What other simple actions can you take to bring about the behaviors you would like to change?

January is the perfect month for planning the year ahead.  What goals do you have for reducing your organization’s energy costs, water usage or waste?

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