Energy Savings

 U.S. Department of Energy – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

 

 

 

Typically, a GHG offset represents a reduction or avoidance of one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).

 A greehouse gas (GHG) offset, sometimes referred to as a carbon offset, is a tradable commodity representing a unit of GHG emissions reduction or avoidance.GHG offsets may be purchased by consumers and businesses to “offset” their own emissions, such as those associated with electricity consumption, product manufacturing processes, automobile use, and air travel.

GHG offsets can be derived from a variety of project types that reduce or avoid GHG emissions, with diverse methods for measuring these reductions.

Examples of GHG reduction projects include renewable electricity generation, energy efficiency measures, methane capture at landfill sites, soil carbon sequestration, and reforestation projects.

Developers of these project types can sell GHG offsets to consumers or businesses to help finance their projects.

All of the GHG offset providers and products presented on the Green Power Network are available nationally and derived at least in part from U.S.-based renewable energy generation projects.

Negawatt
It hasn’t yet made it into the Webster’s Dictionary yet, but…..
Negawatt (n) – a measure of energy efficiency; a unit in watts of energy saved.
“Every negawatt generated has the potential to increase our wealth and health as few other investments can. Negawatts enable us to do more with less and the opportunities are almost boundless. Energy efficiency is the great new energy resource of our future and a vital key to a sustainable environment.”

Enormous amounts of energy are wasted in North America . ($300 billion per year in the U.S. and $30 billion per year in Canada ) By increasing our energy efficiency we can “generate” large amounts of power without building any new power plants or buying any fuel for existing plants.

Fluorescent systems can save 70 to 90 percent of lighting electricity . . . Replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs is another tremendous source of negawatts. Compact fluorescents are available in all sizes and shapes. They are generally four times more efficient than regular light bulbs (14 watts replaces a 75 watt incandescent) and last ten times longer.

Think of such a compact bulb, with 14 watts replacing 75, as a 61 negawatt power plant. By substituting 14 watts for 75 watts, you are sending 61 unused watts — or negawatts — back to the power plant, that can sell the electricity saved to someone else without having to make it all over again. Of course generating negawatts also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and saves money for consumers.

More information on this topic can be found at www.negawattproducts.com   www.perpetualgreen.net   www.negawattbox.com