Turning Off the Heat: Why America Must Double Energy Efficiency to Save Money and Reduce Global Warming

Global warming, the result of increasing carbon dioxide emissions from energy producers and users, has become a danger to humans. It threatens radical climate changes, severe storms, and ecological havoc.Turning Off the Heat targets a main source of overuse of fossil fuels - the energy producers themselves who, through their government-approved monopolies have led to energy inefficiency and needless pollution. A leading authority with 20 years experience developing and operating of energy projects, Casten clearly explains that the U.S. and other nations of the world can, and must, double the efficiency of electric utilities. This efficiency improvement will lead to a reduction of electric prices by 30 to 40% and cut carbon dioxide emissions (a greenhouse gas) in half.Two-thirds of the fuel used to make U.S. electricity is wasted, resulting in higher energy prices and excess pollution. If market forces are unleashed and monopolies ended, competition will save money and fuel, Casten says. This is an essential volume for policy-makers, legislators, leaders in industry, environmentalists, and concerned citizens.

Thomas R. Casten, founder and CEO of Trigen Energy Corp., has been a leading advocate for market-based solutions to environmental problems, and his 1997 report ＂Barriers to Efficiency＂ was named best policy paper of the year by Common Purpose. He serves as an advisor to senior government leaders, and participated with President Clinton in the White House conference on global climate change.