“Efficiency”? You know, the thing we used to call (gasp!) conservation, before that became so last energy crisis.

(As far as I’m concerned, there is only the slimmest sliver of difference between efficiency and conservation, and it has to do with intent. If you buy a more fuel efficient car because you like it, that’s (unintended) efficiency, but if you do it at least in part to reduce your gasoline consumption, then that’s conservation. To be honest, I use the terms interchangeably, except when I’m hanging out with the rest of the energy geeks at our favorite bar, Watt’s Up?. But I digress.)

Back on topic, the issue at hand is US views of efficiency/conservation measures. Specifically, I think we’re finally reaching the point where energy prices are inflicting enough pain on enough people–from individual consumers to business people to those managing budgets for almost any organization, like schools and religious institutions–that Americans are (finally!) willing to think explicitly about efficiency and how they can trim their energy expenses.

My initial reaction: It’s about freakin’ time, people.

My secondary reaction: I find it extremely sad that years of information, even in the truly pathetic US mainstream press, about the evils of our energy-profligate ways, from global warming to an insane level of oil dependence (often relying on countries that don’t like us), to a ballooning trade deficit (we buy about 1.4 billion dollars of oil every day from other countries, at current prices) weren’t enough to get people to budge a micron. It took $3.50/gallon, the latest mule kick to the forehead, to wake them up and start herding them, however slowly and halfheartedly, in the right direction.

All of this came to mind when I (and a few bazillion others, I suspect) received an e-mail from Marianne Lavelle at US News and World Report about a series of efficiency-themed articles they’ve published online:

• Putting Your Home on an Energy Diet
• Three Ways Businesses Can Save on Power
• Efficiency: the Unloved Solution That Works

Good articles, even if there’s not too much there that regular TCOE readers don’t know already.

The real value of these articles is that they’ll help spread the efficiency meme to all those US consumers who claim to be “too busy” to make even the slightest change to become more energy efficient, or who think it will be “too much of a hassle”.

And that’s where you can play a role, via a simple experiment. Tell your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and relatives about these articles. Tell them you’re tired of throwing away money and you’re making some changes to your home or workplace. Provide details, if possible–”I saved $5/month on my electricity bill and $15 on gasoline without really trying”. Ask them if they have any tips for spending less on energy, even if you’re sure they’re the last people on the planet who will conserve; if nothing else, the question might jump-start their own budget assessment process. Don’t mention Al Gore, global warming, peak oil, polar bears, or any of that. Just stick to the money angle, and see if you can get them to pay attention to the market’s latest mule kick and take some evasive action before the next one happens.

The fact that it will help them and everyone else on the planet can remain our little secret.