DOE has outlined its plans to establish and fund three new
Energy Innovation Hubs over the next five years which will
bring multidisciplinary teams of experts together to
speed research and deployment of promising energy-related
technologies.
Appliances account for roughly 65% of electricity consumption in the average American household (2001), with refrigerators and lighting making up the largest categories. (Source: EIA)
In 2007, the average monthly residential electricity consumption was 936 kWh. (Source: EIA)
Estimated energy demand is charted to grow by almost 50% in the next 20 years.
Today’s challenges of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while meeting the country’s steadily rising demand for electricity make it essential for legislatures and public utility commissions to shift their focus toward mechanisms that make demand reduction as profitable for utilities as increasing supply. (Source: Institute for 21st Century Energy)
Public policies such as appliance and vehicle efficiency standards and building codes are responsible for at least 20% of the improvement in the US's energy intensity--energy use per unit of GDP. (Source: Institute for 21st Century Energy)
