Cash For Refrigerators Program This Fall!

[Matt Herring]

This is real...but it doesn't have as catchy a name as "Cash For Clunkers."

Latest in Stimulus: 'Cash for Refrigerators' - Yahoo! News

[SVOboy]

This makes a lot more sense than trading in cars, I think. Appliances require less to build and their efficiency increases have been much more dramatic than in cars.

[jamesqf]

Just backwards of anything that'd do me good, since I bought a new refrigerator only a couple of years ago (trading in the previous working one). Now if they'd just give me money for the old, old one that's been taking up space in the garage since I bought the house a decade ago, I'd go for it. Heck, if they'd even offer to recycle it for free/cheap, I'd haul it to anyplace within 20-30 miles.

[Frank Lee]

COOPs and utilities, in concert with the gummint, have been promoting conservation for decades. They've offered rebates for the purchase of Energy Star rated appliances, free CFL's, reduced price heat pumps, etc.

Results:

Not even a blip in skyrocketing household use.

There is no comparison between the utility usage of 20 years ago and today.

Effective, eh?

[RobertSmalls]

Ah, Frank, just because the overall trend is upwards doesn't mean our efforts have been ineffective. Our electric consumption would be way worse if we were all using 30 year old appliances.

[Frank Lee]

A similar phenomenon has been identified when people get a more fuel efficient vehicle... suddenly, they feel the need to pile on more miles.

Oh- my appliances are 40 years old! But my kwh/mo is usually about 170-180. Full-sized house with well and sump pumps besides.

[roflwaffle]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

COOPs and utilities, in concert with the gummint, have been promoting conservation for decades. They've offered rebates for the purchase of Energy Star rated appliances, free CFL's, reduced price heat pumps, etc.

Results:

Not even a blip in skyrocketing household use.

There is no comparison between the utility usage of 20 years ago and today.

Effective, eh?

Policy is decent, about 20% of the difference between the U.S. and a state with comprehensive policies that encourage conservation like CA, but political attitudes are a big part of the picture.

[Frank Lee]

Regional variation

Household energy use varies significantly across the United States. An average home in the Pacific region (consisting of California, Oregon, and Washington) consumes 35% less energy than a home in the South Central region. Most of the regional differences can be explained by climate. The heavily populated coastal areas of the Pacific states experience generally mild winters and summers, reducing the need for both home heating and air conditioning. The warm, humid climates of the South Central and South Atlantic regions lead to higher electricity usage, while the cold winters experienced in the Northeast and North Central regions result in much higher consumption of natural gas and heating oil.

Another reason for regional differences is the variety of building codes and environmental regulations found at the local and state level. California has some of the strictest environmental laws and building codes in the country, which may contribute to the fact that its per-household energy consumption is lower than all other states except Hawaii.

Major U.S. cities also show significant variation in per capita energy consumption. In addition to differences in regional climates and variations in building code standards, factors affecting energy use in cities include population density and building design. Townhouses are more energy efficient than single-family homes because less heat, for example, is wasted per person.

Energy in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

also: U.S. Household Electricity Uses: A/C, Heating, Appliances

FWIW

[roflwaffle]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

A similar phenomenon has been identified when people get a more fuel efficient vehicle... suddenly, they feel the need to pile on more miles.

Yeah, efficiency improvements tend not to be optimally effective, but they still tend to reduce energy consumption.

[Frank Lee]

It's like putting Smart cars in cities- it merely delays the inevitable crisis.