Changing patterns of use

The author contends that energy efficiency is a disruptive technology that, through 'integrative design,' can provide energy services more cheaply than supply-side production. By optimizing entire systems rather than individual components, the author claims significant reductions in energy use are possible in buildings, industrial processes, and transport. A central focus is placed on the automotive sector, where 'ultralighting' and electrification could realistically eliminate US motor-fuel demand by 2050. The text warns that oil and gas companies face existential risks as demand-side innovations make hydrocarbons uncompetitive, suggesting these firms pivot toward efficiency and renewable energy investments.

• Integrative design, which optimizes an entire system rather than individual components, can achieve energy savings of 30-60% in industrial retrofits and 40-90% in new construction, often with lower capital costs.
• In the automotive sector, 'ultralighting'—using lighter materials and smarter designs—can reduce a vehicle's tractive load by half to two-thirds, which in turn makes electric propulsion more affordable by reducing the number of batteries or fuel cells required.
• The author asserts that the US could realistically eliminate automotive motor-fuel demand by 2050 through superefficient electrified vehicles, representing a potential net-present-value saving of $4 trillion to $12 trillion.
• Heavy trucking efficiency could be tripled through improvements in aerodynamics, tyres, weight, and the use of 'turnpike doubles' (two trailers per tractor).
• The oil and gas industry faces a broken revenue model due to high capital intensity, increasing project risks, and the threat of 'stranded assets' as demand-side efficiency makes expensive frontier reserves uncompetitive.
• China has demonstrated significant efficiency gains, cutting its energy intensity by more than 5% per year between 1976 and 2001, and in 2012 added more non-hydro renewable electricity than all fossil-fuelled and nuclear plants combined.

APA

Lovins, A. B. (2014). Changing patterns of use. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_ShellEssayBundle_AmoryLovins.pdf

Chicago

Lovins, Amory B. Changing patterns of use. RMI, 2014. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_ShellEssayBundle_AmoryLovins.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lovins |first1=Amory B. |title=Changing patterns of use |publisher=RMI |date=2 July 2014 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_ShellEssayBundle_AmoryLovins.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lovins2014changing, author = {Lovins, Amory B.}, title = {{Changing patterns of use}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2014}, month = jul, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_ShellEssayBundle_AmoryLovins.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }