Feb 17, 2001 - 12:15 PM

Turning off Lights Really Does Save Energy. But for How Long?

By Joseph B. Verrengia The Associated Press

Fair use for educational purposes only!

Turn off the light when you leave a room. Put on a sweater. Turn off the computer if you're done Web-surfing. Drain the waterbed.

When it comes to saving energy, everybody has a suggestion. Does any of it make a difference? If Americans followed all the tips offered by energy experts, would their efforts prevent blackouts and keep the lid on monthly utility bills? And, would they be comfortable?

Yes, experts say. The United States burns more energy per capita than any nation on Earth, including a quarter of the world's oil, coal and natural gas output.

By some estimates, we could reduce energy consumption by 30 percent in the next two decades without diminishing our lifestyle or productivity.

Just don't say "conservation." It conjures up the dour image of Jimmy Carter's cardigan, circa 1977. "We quit using the term," said Doug Norland, economist for the Alliance to Save Energy, a Washington-based nonprofit group. "Now we say demand-side management."

Critics of government-mandated conservation programs say conservation rarely works over the long haul. That's because people must change their habits and become consistently frugal over long periods.

Conservation can work in a crisis. Empty skyscrapers blazed all night when many Californians didn't quite believe their state was gripped by a power shortage. Rolling blackouts changed all that as ATMs and traffic lights blinked off, people were stuck in elevators and customers shopped by flashlight.

Power shortages continue, but grid managers have avoided blackouts since Jan. 18, in part because demand is dipping at critical times, a sign that people now are trying.

"Anything that reduces the overall load is going to be beneficial," said Lynda Ziegler of Southern California Edison.

On March 15, California will launch a $404 million conservation effort that Gov. Gray Davis said is "the most aggressive in America." Among its provisions: Auto dealers and other retailers must reduce outdoor lighting or risk a $1,000 fine.

Nobody has precise figures on how much electricity outdoor signs and parking lot lights consume. But Home Depot, with 140 stores in California, believes that its stores by themselves can save enough electricity each month to power 1,800 houses, spokesman Chuck Sifuentes said.

The state's effort also involves $170 million in financial incentives for businesses and homeowners who install energy-saving equipment and lighting.

The program could pay for itself, eventually. According to a Rand Corp. study, in the 20 years before deregulation the $125 per capita that California spent on energy efficiency programs boosted the state's economy up to $1,300 per capita.

Efficiency measures such as tighter building codes, extra insulation and new appliances are designed to save a calculated amount of power, year after year.

Buying new equipment and retrofitting businesses works, but it can be expensive. People rarely replace appliances until they fail, so energy savings must be extended over time.

"My townhouse is 18 years old and recently I've bought a new heat pump, a stove and a refrigerator," Norland said. "I've noticed a 30 percent decrease in my utility bill from a year ago."

AP-ES-02-17-01 1217EST © Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

-- Swissrose (cellier@azstarnet.com), February 17, 2001