Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the United States is not running out of technologies to

improve energy efficiency and will not exhaust its efficiency improving options in the foreseeable future.

Additional GHG reduction breakthroughs are likely in other related areas and especially in renewables

such as photovoltaic systems, hydrogen fuel cells, and solar heating and lighting.

F. The Potential for Reduced Emissions 

Box 4

The Refrigerator Story

Between 1977 and 1982, DOE invested approxi 

consumers $7 billion in energy costs from 1981 to

mately $1.6 million in R&D to make home refrigerators

1990 (1999$).

more energy efficient. Working in a public/private part 

In 1997, a DOE industry cooperative R&D effort

nership with compressor and appliance manufacturers,

developed a prototype  fridge of the future  that further

DOE and two federal laboratories identified ways of

reduced energy consumption by nearly 50 percent com 

improving the performance of refrigerator compressors,

pared with refrigerators then on the market and sur 

motors, insulation, and controls, and they provided test

passed the 2001 U.S. efficiency standard for refrigera 

data for use in setting national standards. These technol 

tors (Figure 15). These developments, in combination

ogy investments, in conjunction with the issuance of

with the 2001 standard, is expected to save consumers

appliance standards, cut the energy use of the average

billions of dollars over the years of operation of these

new refrigerator in half by the year 1990 and saved U.S.

improved appliances.

Figure 15

Average Electricity Use of    

Household Refrigerator/Freezers  

by Year of Purchase

+

2,200

22

2,000

1,800

18

1,600

.S. $)

1978 CA Standard

(cubic feet)

1,400

14

er Unit (kWh/yr)

$1,272.03

1980 CA Standard

1,200

1987 CA Standard

$999.08

1,000

10

1990 NAECA

$893.58

2001 

800

1993 

DOE

DOE

and Price (2003 U

600

6

$576.11

rage Energy Use P

$462.99

e

400

+

Av

200

2

0

1947

1955

1963

1971

1979

1987

1995

2003

Adjusted Average Volume (cubic feet)

U.S. Sales Weighted Average Energy Use

Average Real Price

Source: Geller, H.S. and D.B. Goldstein. 1999.  Equipment Efficiency Standards: Mitigating Global Climate Change at a Profit.  Physics and

Society 28, No. 2:4. and The National Commission on Energy Policy. 2004. Ending the Energy Stalemate: A Bipartisan Strategy to Meet America's

Energy Challenges, December, http:www.energycommission.org, and National Research Council, 2001. op cit.

57

Towards a Climate Friendly  

Built Environment

+