Americans Harbor Misconceptions About How To Save Energy

NEW YORK—Many Americans believe they can conserve energy by taking relatively inconsequential steps, such as turning off lights, while ignoring more impactful measures, according to a new survey. Only 2%–3% of respondents to the online survey by Columbia University cited major energy-saving steps, such as purchasing energy-efficient cars and appliances, and weatherizing homes, as being important in reducing energy consumption. Nearly 20% of respondents cited turning off lights as the best approach to conserving energy. For a sample of 15 activities, respondents underestimated energy use and savings by a factor of 2.8 on average, with small overestimates for low-energy activities and large underestimates for high-energy activities. Read more