Increase Your Energy IQ

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The more you know about green energy, the more you'll save

Amid reports of climate change and growing global tensions, many Americans seem strangely fond of their low energy IQs. We gas up our cars, cool down our houses, and figure the power will always be there when we flip the switches. As for renewable energy sources like solar power and wind, there's more buzz in the media about energy drinks.

But rising costs may soon force us to become more energy conscious, if not obsessed. As oil supplies tighten over the next decade or so, two bucks for a gallon of gas will look like the good old days, but that'll be the least of our worries. We tend to burn far more energy than people in poorer countries do, and our abundance often comes at their expense. Social unrest and ecological damage are just part of the price we're asking the world to pay so we can remain its energy gluttons.

Many observers say we could painlessly use less oil, coal, and natural gas. New wind turbines and solar technology are making renewable energy ever cheaper. We even have the digital networking tools to knit these new sources into the energy grid. What we lack is the political will to see that happen. Congress and the White House ought to be setting higher efficiency standards for appliances, buildings, and cars. They could be using tax credits and other incentives to steer the country toward a greener energy mix. Instead, most federal subsidies now go to shoring up an old energy regime built on fossil fuels. As careless consumers we're doing the same thing.

Though a realistic plan for the nation's future has yet to emerge, programs are under way, especially at the state level, to improve energy use. At their best, they offer the public a chance to play a part in the vast social experiment of shaping tomorrow's energy supply.

Federal incentives: hybrid cars, solar roofs, hot air for wind

Buying a gasoline-electric hybrid car or some other "clean-fuel vehicle" is one of the rare ways of thinking green for which the feds will actually reward you. Hybrids get good mileage by pairing a small standard engine with an electric motor that recharges while you drive. Toyota and Honda already sell hybrids, and models from Ford and General Motors are on the way. New owners can claim a $1,500 tax deduction in 2004, which is $500 less than last year. The deduction will drop $500 per year and, if it is not renewed, will no longer apply to clean cars put on the road after 2006. For details, go to the Internal Revenue Service Web site (www.irs.gov) and search for "clean-fuel vehicles."

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