Generate Some Negawatts

While researching for the Wide Angle on the Smart Grid, I came across a term that I had never seen before: Negawatts. Nega what? Immediately I g=Googled and discovered that this term dates back to at least 1989, when experimental physicist and CEO of the Rocky Mountain Institute, Amory Lovins gave the keynote address (The Negawatt Revolution: Solving the CO2 Problem) at a Green Energy Conference in Montreal. I can't believe I never came across the word, but it's an important one to have as part of your volcabulary.

A negawatt is a unit in watts of energy saved. It's the opposite of a watt, basically. Leave a light on all day, you may burn 100 watts. Keep it off all day, you save 100 watts. In the key note address, Lovins explains that: "... every unit of electricity you save at the point of use saves typically three or four units of fuel, namely coal at the power plant." This speech if from the late 80s, so that amount of fuel savings is probably higher.

You may be skeptical. After all, a negawatt isn't a thing; it's the absence of a thing. But "generating" negawatts, that is being energy efficient, has a tangible by-product: wealth. Save energy; save money. And that goes for everyone from the individual homeowner to the large-scale power plant.

Generate some negawatts now, by:

1. Replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
2. Turning off or unplugging electronic devices when not in use (printer, computer, DVD player, television, etc.).
3. Setting your thermostat 5 to 10 degrees F cooler in the winter and warmer in the summer.
4. Turning down the thermostat on your water heater to 120 degrees F.
5. Insulating hot-water pipes.
6. Buying energy efficient appliances.
7. Purchasing renewable electricity from your utility company.
8. Generating your own electricity by purchasing stand-alone, off-the-grid equipment.

Get more tips on the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy web site.