Energy costs and demand are rising—and so are concerns about the impact of fossil fuel consumption on the earth and its climate. This section will help you understand where our energy comes from, how we use it, and where we can most effectively make changes.

Efficiency First

The simplest and cleanest way to help supply keep up with demand is to reduce the demand. That means using less, not necessarily by making painful cuts in comfort and lifestyle but by eliminating waste and embracing advances in energy-efficient technology.

Whether you’re concerned about climate change or just reducing your utility bills, the first steps are the same: Use less energy, and squeeze more benefit from every watt and therm.

Energy Terms

To understand energy and track how efficiently we are using it, we need to know how different types are measured.

Watt: A unit of measure of electric power at a point in time. Another way to think of this is the instantaneous power requirement needed by a device to operate. Electrical appliances are rated in terms of how many watts (or amps) they draw when turned on.

Watt-hour (Wh): One watt of power supplied for one hour.

Kilowatt (kW): One thousand (1,000) watts.

Kilowatt hour (kWh): One kilowatt of power supplied for one hour. This is the most commonly used unit of measure telling the amount of electricity consumed over time. The kWh is the unit of energy measurement the utility company bills you for each month.

Btu (British Thermal Unit): The standard measure of heat energy. It takes one Btu to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit at sea level. One Btu is equivalent to 0.293 watt-hours. Natural gas is measured in Btus.

Therm: Because one Btu is so small (about the heat generated by striking a match), it’s more useful to measure the heating potential of gas in therms. One therm equals 100,000 Btus.

Megawatt (MW): One thousand kilowatts (1,000 kW) or one million (1,000,000) watts.

Gigawatt (GW): One thousand megawatts (1,000 MW) or, one million kilowatts (1,000,000 kW) or one billion watts (1,000,000,000 watts) of electricity.

Where Does Our Power Come From?

Ventura County’s electricity comes from generating plants that feed a grid, which essentially connects everyone west of the Rocky Mountains. The electricity you use may have been generated hundreds of miles away.

In 2005 California used 288,245 gigawatt-hours of electricity, produced thusly:

The renewable electricity used in California in 2005—31,119 gigawatt-hours—came from the following sources:

 

California’s Renewable Energy Goals: In 2002, California established its Renewable Portfolio Standard Program, with the goal of increasing the percentage of renewable energy in the state’s electricity mix to 20% by 2017. The Energy Commission subsequently recommended accelerating that goal to 2010 and further recommended increasing the target to 33% by 2020. The state’s Energy Action Plan supported this goal.

Electricity Use in California

California electricity use by sector, 2005:



Because commercial and residential account for more than two-thirds of the demand, savings in these sectors would have the most impact. To focus on residential use, the average California household used 5,914 kWh in 2005. (Ventura County was a bit higher, with an average of 6,500 kWh.)

California residential electricity use by activity, 2005

Natural Gas Use in California

In addition to producing the largest portion of our electricity, natural gas is used by many Californians to heat our homes, water, and pools, to cook our food, and to dry our clothes. An average household in SoCal Gas Service territory used about 450 therms in 2005.

California residential natural gas use use by activity, 2005:

Greenhouse Gases and Energy Use

The greatest contributor to global climate change is the “greenhouse gases” (most significantly carbon dioxide, or CO2) produced by combustion. Here is how much certain types of energy use contribute to the problem: