Most technological innovations that aim to reduce carbon emissions do it either by switching to renewable energy sources (Strategy One), or by increasing the energy efficiency of the technology (Strategy Two). A third strategy is to eliminate or reduce the use of the technology altogether.
So, for example: to reduce emissions from lighting, you could install photovoltaic panels (Strategy One), switch to LED lights (Strategy Two), or design a house to provide more natural light (Strategy Three). Or for transport: switch to an electric motor and charge the batteries using green energy (Strategy One), reduce the weight of the car and use a more efficient propulsion system (Strategy Two), or make it easier to walk or cycle by providing safe and convenient routes for pedestrians and cyclists (Strategy Three).
In most cases, the third strategy is the most effective at reducing emissions, but also the most difficult to achieve. This is partly because it often requires coordinated planning on a level that is rarely achieved. In the transport case, urban planners, transport engineers and others need to put their heads together, and in the lighting case architects and building engineers need to do the same. Just as difficult is the behaviour change that is required by the users - people who need to travel, or people who buy and occupy buildings. There is immense resistance to change, and some would argue that inducing change in a certain direction can have unintended consequences, or not be effective at all. (Think of ethanol from corn, encouraged by subsidies in the US.)
Here's an idea for Strategy Three that, for all I know, could have some unintended consequence; but what I like about it is its simplicity and ease of implementation. The SmartSwitch is like having someone tell you not to turn on the lights unneccessarily:
SmartSwitch doesn't restrict the user from turning on a light, but rather it passively encourages behavior change. SmartSwitches can be programmed to respond to either personal or communal electrical usage. In a home wired with SmartSwitches, lights can become harder to turn on during hours of peak demand. The switches can also be customized to reflect household-specific energy conservation goals.
Apart from the direct electricity savings, what this also does is raise awareness of waste and pressure on resources. Awareness is crucial because it helps leverage the effect of change in one area of life to encourage change in other areas. If I know that my lifestyle at home has an impact on electricity usage, I might be more inclined to make changes at the office. And having become conscious of waste in general, I might even make the connection with wasting water and other resources.
In South Africa, electricity utility Eskom has toyed with the idea of being able to remotely control when certain household appliances can be switched on. For example, the morning breakfast period is when a lot of hot water is consumed for showers, but if a hot water heater is sized correctly for the household, it is not necessary that the heater be turned on during this peak period. The water will be hot when people start showering, and the heating element could stay off until everyone has left for school and work. In this way, the overall electricity use is not reduced, but the demand is reduced during the peak period - and that is important to the electricity supplier. So this could be a powerful strategy with clear benefits, but it happens without anyone having to be conscious of it, so it doesn't shift behaviour.
In another South African example, national television broadcaster SABC has taken to inserting warnings at the bottom of the TV screen when electricity supply is under pressure. When there is moderate pressure on the system, there is a yellow symbol and warning text; when pressure is more severe, the symbol goes red. This strategy raises awareness, but does not necessarily result in change, since there is no real pressure to act on the warning. It would be interesting to see the results of a survey to find out how these warnings have influenced TV watchers.
Comments