By Daniel Trotta NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters) - Change a light bulb and stop a war. Build smarter homes and keep the seas from rising. These are the kinds of arguments U.S. environmentalists use to promote their cause. Others say forget "save the planet," Americans respond better to "save some money." Regardless of the sales pitch, energy efficiency is an opportunity that Americans shun, as less than 5 percent of the world's population consumes almost 25 percent of global oil production. While gas-guzzling vehicles draw the most criticism, homes and businesses consume even more energy -- 40 percent of the U.S. total in 2005 versus 28 percent for transportation -- and provide the biggest potential for savings. The U.S. Green Building Council says structures built to its standards can cut energy usage 20 to 80 percent using available technologies such as compact fluorescent lighting and high-efficiency building shells and water heating. The Paris-based International Energy Agency, which advises rich governments, says more efficient use of energy can do far more to cut carbon dioxide emissions than either a shift to renewable energies or nuclear power in coming decades. Advocates for efficiency call it "low-hanging fruit," so what keeps it from being picked? Woeful public awareness, timid policy-makers and resistance from the building industry to mandate greater standards, experts say. "Nothing is stopping building owners from making investment in plants and equipment except they don't want to do it," said Peter Fusaro, founder of Global Change Associates, an environmental consultancy. "There's just no people pushing it. Politicians make platitudes about energy efficiency but who's going to make the investment?" Some states are more aggressive than the federal government. California has called for a 25 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Ten northeastern states including New York have pledged to cut emissions from electricity generation to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2019. "We want to drag the federal government into this. We're not going to wait," said Peter Smith, president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. THE OFFENDING LIGHT BULB Tim Carey, president and chief executive of the New York Power Authority, said he would outlaw traditional, incandescent bulbs if he could. Australia plans to phase them out by 2009. "I outlawed them in my house and nobody seemed to mind," Carey said. "We certainly would have to invade a lot fewer countries in the Middle East." Scientists link carbon dioxide, released when coal, oil and natural gas are burned, to global warming, which in turn has resulted in heat waves, floods and storms. Buildings use more energy than they need to because they leak energy through ill-conceived lighting, oversized heating and cooling systems or poor building materials. In a pilot program, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority built 15,000 energy-efficient homes, which cost on average $7,000 more than a conventional home. That $7,000 investment paid for itself within four years through lower energy bills, Smith said. "It just makes good business sense," Smith said. But consumers are generally unwilling to invest in more expensive homes or appliances unless they can make their money back in less than three years, according to a study by consultants McKinsey & Co. "Most people would pay a few dollars extra on their mortgage each month for a Jacuzzi or better counter tops. That doesn't faze them. It's just crazy that we have this market barrier," said Bill Prindle, deputy director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. "That's why we need stronger building codes," he said. Codes are determined by state and local authorities, making it difficult to institute a national policy. Builders favor voluntary standards, saying mandates add to costs by disrupting supply chains and creating delays by leaving government agencies short of inspectors. Prindle says the United States needs a national energy policy requiring efficiencies in order for the market to work. Others are hopeful the 2008 presidential election will produce candidates no longer fearful of conservation, which in the past past been associated with sacrifice.
