Energy efficiency is our best hope for a sustainable future

The author asserts that energy efficiency is a critical, underutilized tool for reducing global CO2 emissions and enhancing the reliability of renewable energy. By utilizing existing technologies such as thermal storage and district heating, the global energy system can become more flexible and cost-effective, as the cheapest energy is that which is not consumed.

• Energy efficiency improvements implemented since 2001 resulted in a 12 percent reduction in global energy use by 2016, a volume of energy comparable to the total consumption of the European Union.
• Energy efficiency is essential for a clean energy transition because renewable energy sources are intermittent, meaning they are not always produced when or where they are needed; without efficiency, renewables alone are insufficient.
• Energy efficiency has the potential to account for 38 percent of the total global reductions in CO2 emissions by the year 2050, using technology that is already available.
• Innovative thermal storage and smart energy systems, such as district heating, can integrate buildings into the energy grid to provide flexibility. For example, supermarkets can capture and store heat from cooling systems to redistribute to nearby homes, a solution described as being a hundred times cheaper than battery storage.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2018). Energy efficiency is our best hope for a sustainable future. https://www.seforall.org/news/energy-efficiency-is-our-best-hope-for-a-sustainable-future

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Energy efficiency is our best hope for a sustainable future. 2018. https://www.seforall.org/news/energy-efficiency-is-our-best-hope-for-a-sustainable-future.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Energy efficiency is our best hope for a sustainable future |date=9 August 2018 |url=https://www.seforall.org/news/energy-efficiency-is-our-best-hope-for-a-sustainable-future |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{sustainableenergyforall2018energy, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Energy efficiency is our best hope for a sustainable future}}, publisher = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://www.seforall.org/news/energy-efficiency-is-our-best-hope-for-a-sustainable-future}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }