Energy Education Framework
Cooperative Extension Associations all over New York State are being called on to help address issues of energy affordability, energy independence and global climate disruption. Energy efficiency (EE) is a key strategy for addressing each of those issues and education has a prominent role to play. While many Associations offer education on saving energy, such as EmPower, are looking to expand programming.
The Energy Framework explained on these webpages is intended to give already-busy Extension Educators access to information that most likely to be helpful to the local situation and programming needs. The Framework focuses on EE in the heating and lighting of buildings - residential, business and institutional - since those areas usually have the best fit with county and regional educational program. EE in those sectors is also cost-effective.
Investment in a whole house upgrade will be more than paid for over time by the reduced energy bills. Nation-wide trillions of dollars can be saved, even after the costs of efficiency upgrades are factored in. EE can create jobs and help dollars stay in the community rather than being shipped overseas. EE makes renewable energies more viable. Reducing energy use is a necessary step to make small scale wind or solar photovoltaic power cost effective.
The framework looks at three broad areas, appropriate for educational programming, that need to be met in order to drive large scale EE:
- awareness and knowledge
- adequate financial resources
- capacity to do quality work
The term EE is used to include what is actually both energy conservation and energy efficiency. If I turn out lights when I am leaving the room, I am conserving energy. If I replace an incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) I have improved energy efficiency. True energy efficiency has benefits since the CFL is engineered to always be more efficient.
