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Seven way to Save the World Forget the old idea that conserving energy is a form of self-denialriding bicycles, dimming the lights, and taking fewer showers. These days conservation is all about efficiency: getting the sameor betterresults from just a fraction of the energy. When a slump in business travel forced Ulrich Ramer to cut costs at his familyowned hotel in Germany, he replaced hundreds of the hotels wasteful light bulbs, getting the same light for 80 percent less power. He bought a new water boiler with a digitally controlled pump, and wrapped insulation around the pipes. Spending about ￡100,000 on these and other improvements, he slashed his ￡90,000 fuel and power bill by ￡60,000. As a bonus, the hotels lower energy needs have reduced its annual carbon emissions by more than 200 metric tons. For us, saving energy has been very, very profitable, he says. And most importantly, were not giving up a single comfort for our guests. Efficiency is also a great way to lower carbon emissions and help slow global warming. But the best argument for efficiency is its costor, more precisely, its profitability. Thats because quickly growing energy demand requires immense investment in new supply, not to mention the drain of rising energy prices. No wonder efficiency has moved to the top of the political agenda. On Jan. 10, the European Union unveiled a plan to cut energy use across the continent by 20 percent by 2020. Last March, China imposed a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2020. Even George W. Bush, the Texas oilman, is expected to talk about energy conservation in his State of the Union speech this week. | 
