How conserving electricity is bad for the environment (sometimes)

How do you save electricity?

You could save electricity by not leaving your TV on standby, because you don’t really need to leave your TV on standby. But then again, standby mode adds functionality and improves the user experience. You could save electricity by watching less TV. You could just stop watching TV, and go for a run. Better yet plant some trees. You’d get some exercise, you’d save electricity, you’d help the carbon/oxygen balance and you’d feel good about yourself.

But you don’t want to do that. You want to watch TV.

You could watch TV for seven hours a day for the rest of your life. Would that be a waste of life? It depends how much you like watching TV. So really, the question is, what is waste? How do we define waste?

Is it wasteful to use the technology we create to improve our lives? If you think so, then maybe you should be planting those trees right now, not reading this article.

So, are we really being eco-friendly by conserving energy?

Energy conservation gone wrong

It’s good to save energy. As businesses we would be stupid not to be refining processes in order to reduce our energy usage and improve our efficiency, lowering costs, working better with the environment and showing our customers that we are a responsible business. But before we start trying to save energy or be more energy efficient first we must clearly define what is effectively improving our user experience and what is actually just wasteful.

Surely saving energy can’t ever be bad for the environment?

Indiscriminately saving energy can be bad for business, but it can also be bad for the environment.

Going back to the hand dryers discussed in the previous article: In 1950 I’d imagine that electric hand dryers may have been less energy efficient than building your own log fire every time you dried your hands. But now they are more energy efficient than paper (in many contexts). But (hyperthetically) if people only considered the present day scenario back in 1950, every eco-friendly minded person would’ve chosen hand towels over electric hand dryers because it would’ve been far better for the environment. But that is not the case today because electric hand dryers have developed and continue to do so.

Is there really any point turning your TV off?

Before you do, consider whether you would prefer it on. If we comprimise our lifestyles based on energy consumption by not using the technological features we have created to improve our lives, we are choosing paper towels over electric hand dryers. Is it better that we slow down and comprimise for the sake of the short term environmental benefits, or is it better to concentrate on what is actually important: changing the way we innovate.

We blame the electrical products and we blame ourselves for using them because that is what fuels global warming and the poisoning of environments and the atmosphere. But unless you’re prepared to stop watching TV and start planting trees instead there has to be another way.

And there is…

By showing businesses that consumers are truly concerned about the environment the businesses will be forced to respond accordingly in order to thrive and one day, just to survive.

Demand fuels change. Demand for technological answers that improve our lives is increasing, not decreasing. But this has an impact on the environment. Something has to give. If you want it to be demand then stop watching TV and start planting trees. If you don’t care about the environment leave your TV on standby overnight. If you want both to get better, choose businesses that care about the environment.

By directing consumer demand intelligently we can force change in innovation, which saves the environment. Don’t switch your TV off. Switch your TV manufacturer. Don’t turn your heating down, choose a green energy provider. By shifting demand to green products without compromising user experience businesses are getting the fuel they need to innovate green products.

So next time you go to turn your light off with the environment in mind, think, how could I achieve the same or better with the power of my consumer demand?