SustainAbility: Physicists revisit energy efficiency

Friday, October 10, 2008 How important is energy efficiency for a sustainable future? According to the American Physical Society’s recently released “Energy Future: Think Efficiency,” it’s very important. The American Physical Society, the largest organization of professional physicists in the United States, is revisiting the topic of efficiency, first studied in 1975 by the society. Whether the goal is to increase security or reduce the impact of global warming, energy efficiency is the starting point. Chad Middleton is an assistant professor of physics at Mesa State College and one of 46,000 members of the society. He agreed efficiency was a good place to start and noted the report referred to energy efficiency as “one of America’s great hidden energy reserves.” Transportation and buildings account for two thirds of... [read full story]