New Evidence of a Decline In Electricity Use By U.S. Households (wordpress.com)

There's some surprising news from the Energy Institute at the University of California's business school. America's households are using less electricity than they did five years ago. So what is different? Energy-efficient lighting. Over 450 million LEDs have been installed to date in the United States, up from less than half a million in 2009, and nearly 70% of Americans have purchased at least one LED bulb. Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) are even more common, with 70%+ of households owning some CFLs. All told, energy-efficient lighting now accounts for 80% of all U.S. lighting sales.

It is no surprise that LEDs have become so popular. LED prices have fallen 94% since 2008, and a 60-watt equivalent LED lightbulb can now be purchased for about $2. LEDs use 85% less electricity than incandescent bulbs, are much more durable, and work in a wide-range of indoor and outdoor settings.
"I would add LED TVs replacing LCD, Plasma and CRTs," writes Slashdot reader schwit1.

Comments

BS detected

[Rockoon]

When they say "I would add LED TVs replacing LCD, Plasma and CRTs" do they mean real ultra-expensive LED TV's, or do they mean those mainstream TV's that use LCD technology but call themselves LED because reasons?

Re:BS Bills Are Still The Same Amount

[Kjella]

Well prices are expected to go up over time due to inflation. The real problem is that wages have been stagnant, and haven't kept pace with inflation.

From year to year I think inflation and CPI is an okay measure. Over long stretches of time, well... according to some measures the US middle class hasn't improved at all since the 1970s. But if you took a family from 1970 and transported them to 2017, would they want to go back? There's no internet. No PCs. No cell phones. No digital cameras. Maybe there's lots of things you'd spend money on in 1970 that doesn't really make any sense in 2017. There will be things in 2017 that no money can buy in 1970, what's the value of that? Average lifespan has gone up from 71 to 79 years, what's 8 more years of life worth? That you get more money and spend more money is hardly the only valid way to quantify life.

Re:This is why you can ignore warming alarmists

[Gussington]

As the use of LED's and electric cars spreads (which is inevitable) we'll reduce energy usage even further - all without a single punishing act of legislation.

The green energy push has had significant help from government regulations and subsidies, which is why they exist. Appropriate regulation improves quality of life, and this is no different. In a real free market we'd still be living industrial age smog and air pollution.

Re:BS Bills Are Still The Same Amount

[SuricouRaven]

It's a socialist state in denial. I blame a generation getting intensive cold war propaganda: They know that socialism is evil, oppressive and unamerican, they just don't know what socialism actually means.