4E

Energy Efficiency: Why the Gap?

Dr. Paul Komor

Renewable & Sustainable Energy Institute
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO USA
Evidence for a gap
More evidence for a gap

Source: McKinsey 2008.

One perspective on the gap:
Consumers and behavior
http://www.samsung.com/my/consumer/home-appliances/refrigerator/multi-door/RF905Q
Source: E Source
Source: E Source
 Why is there a gap?
Some popular explanations
• Information problem: If people knew and
understood, they would act appropriately
• Inertia makes any kind of change very difficult
• Evil (fill in the blank) are blocking change
• There isn’t a gap – the analysis is flawed
• Incentives are misplaced - e.g. renter/owner
problem
• Energy prices don’t reflect societal costs
• What else?
 Understanding the gap
• Bad things happen for good reasons.
• (almost) universal agreement: energy
efficiency is an ‘underutilized resource’
• What can be done about that?
Earthrise, 1968