The once all but certain trend of rising electricity use may now be coming to an end. This may not be good news for electricity companies tied to a business model that depends on growth in electricity consumption (and therefore the need to produce more and get more revenue) but it is good news for the environment. It also shows that we have the ability to reduce our energy consumption while increasing our standard of living, even with all the gadgets we use that suck electricity.
With more TVs, smartphones, air conditioners than ever before, the Energy Information Administration projects electricity use in the U.S. will rise an average of just 0.6% a year for industrial users and 0.7% for households through 2040. Before the Arab oil embargo, electricity consumption grew by more than 8% a year and averaged 2% to 4% annually through the 80s and 90s, according to a Wall Street Journal article. Electricity used to be a measure of economic growth. But, in a key example of how our economic model of “growth, growth, growth” could indeed be realigning with a more sustainable model, that may no longer be the case. Products that are more efficient are flooding the market, so we can have many more devices without necessarily increasing our overall electricity consumption. This is especially true when it comes to new eco-models of appliances that save energy and money. Manufacturing has also shifted more overseas, and this could account for part of the decrease in electricity use overall as industry uses about a quarter of the electricity generated in the U.S. Regardless, I see the trend as a good one. Now, if we can continue to increase the proportion of electricity produced with renewables, we’ll be even better off.
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