Spend it wisely

An energy efficiency advice shop is about to open in Scarborough, and about time. 

In an earlier post (Market Failure) I mentioned Amory Lovins and his efforts to promote energy efficiency. As part of this he drew our attention to the simple fact that when we turn on an appliance we don't do it to watch the meter go round but, for example, to get light, warmth or clean clothes. He termed this "the end-use philosophy" and in doing so shifted attention away from the production of energy, its supply, towards the efficiency with which it gets used and hence, the demand. 

But, one of the paradoxes of increasing energy efficiency is that by saving money it leaves us with more to spend and, since the things we spend it on have usually involved the use of energy, we don't save quite as much as we might have imagined. 

Thinking about this, and about the social and political realities of the situation we find ourselves in, I came up with the following bit of advice for the shop's customers.

You won't stop the sea level rising, reduce extreme storms, floods and droughts or prevent food shortages, starvation and millions becoming refugees, but you will save some money. 

Spend it wisely.