Green Energy Efficency Programs Fail And Fail And Fail!

Why is it that so many programs that are trotted out by the smartest people in the room fail nearly every time? Is it because they live in a bubble or are really not that smart, or it's just that they have an over estimation of their role in the life of others or both.

This the very basis of the progressive liberal agenda - 'we are the smartest and so we have an obligation to tell everyone how they must live their lives' or suffer the consequences. The fact that they have never done anything in the real world is of no importance.

The Hidden Flaw of "Energy Efficiency"
Source: Robert J. Michaels, "The Hidden Flaw of 'Energy Efficiency'," Wall Street Journal, August 20, 2012.

August 24, 2012
Policies that increase energy efficiency have been implemented all over the world. The theory is that new technologies will lower energy bills for consumers, increase profits for producers, and have a positive impact on the environment. In practice, however, there seems to be undesired consequences, says Robert J. Michaels, a professor of economics at California State University, Fullerton, and a senior fellow at the Institute for Energy Research.

Efforts to make energy efficient will experience the "rebound dilemma," according to a recent Energy Institute Research survey.

•For example, energy efficient technologies mean that people can consume more goods that use electricity and businesses will use more energy creating them.
•Indeed, families that had one air conditioning unit may choose to install a central unit because energy has become more efficient, yet the energy output remains the same.
•Moreover, a factory that may get an energy efficient technology wouldn't discard the inefficient one. Rather, the inefficient machine would likely be used in a lesser-developed country.

Mexico's cash-for-coolers program provides policymakers with an example of the rebound dilemma.

•The program subsidized the swapout of inefficient air conditioners and refrigerators with efficient ones.
•A World Bank study claimed that the new refrigerators would use 30 percent less energy.
•However, a University of California Energy Institute study found that energy consumption was cut by only 7 percent.
•This was because people decided to buy bigger refrigerators or use their new air conditioners during the hot summer months.

Energy efficiency programs do not produce their desired effects and are costly endeavors.