Energy provides many benefits. It runs our factories. It heats, lights, and cools our buildings. It cools and cooks our food. It powers all our TVs, VCRs, computers, and other electronics. Energy fuels our transportation system of cars, buses, trucks, trains, ships, and planes. Unfortunately, a lot of energy gets wasted. This wasted energy usually ends up as unused heat. The heat given off by your television, computer, or light bulb are good examples of wasted electricity being converted to heat. Heat going up a chimney is another example. Cars give off so much waste heat that they need radiators and fans to keep from overheating.

There are numerous examples of energy efficiency breakthroughs right here in Michigan. For example, in downtown Detroit, General Motors overhauled the Renaissance Center office complex of 5.5 million square feet. They installed more efficient heating and cooling equipment, lights, and office equipment. They installed window-shading devices to reduce the amount of air conditioning the building needs each year. They redesigned the offices located near the outside of the building to let the light from the outside further into the building, reducing the need for electric lights. They also started using waste heat from a Detroit Edison power plant to heat the building in the winter. As a result, they save $500,000 per year in energy bills.

The money they save on electric and gas bills will pay for the energy efficiency improvements in less than 5 years. It will also prevent the release of 12,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂), 157 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and 53 tons of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) each year.⁹