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Americans in the Dark About Energy Use
by Steve Hargreaves
September 02 |
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Americans aren't known for their energy-thrift ways. Maybe that's because they have little idea as to how much energy things use. While people are generally able to rank items according to energy use - i.e. the dryer uses more than the toaster - they are way off the mark when it comes to gauging by just how much, according to a recent study from researchers at Columbia University and elsewhere.
Example: Most people knew that a laptop computer uses less energy than a desktop. But few knew the lap used one-third the amount.
Nearly 20% said that turning off the lights was the biggest thing they could do to save energy. In reality, turning off the lights saves just a small amount of energy compared to things like insulating your house or buying more efficient appliances.
Test your knowledge
"People's perceptions were off by an order of magnitude," said Shahzeen Attari, one of the study's authors and a fellow at the a Columbia's Earth Institute and Center for Research on Environmental Decisions. "Correcting perceptions is critical if people are going to make informed decisions."
Americans tended to slightly overestimate how much energy small things like lights and laptops use, and greatly underestimate how much is consumed by big items like dishwashers and air conditioners.
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