Mithra Moezzi

Proceedings of the 1998 ACEEE Summer Study
on Energy Efficiency in Buildings
August 1998

In contemporary American energy policy, energy efficiency has superseded energy conservation as the principal metric by which consumer energy choices are judged. However, narrow application of the idea of energy efficiency focuses on technological aspects of energy use and overlooks the human behaviors that drive energy consumption. In addition, energy efficiency does not necessarily save energy. Although energy efficiency has increased in the United States during the past 30 years, so has net energy consumption per capita. This paper examines unintended consequences of focusing energy policies on energy efficiency. A better understanding of these consequences can lead to improvements in the effectiveness and equity of energy policies by helping to recast policy so that it more fully considers absolute levels of consumption in addition to technical efficiency.

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