Energy Efficiency? Over My Cold, Dead Plasma Screen

(MoneyWatch)  Unused watts of electricity from efficiency measures, or "negawatts", are often championed as the most efficient way to replace coal-powered electricity generation. But who are the negawatts coming from? It won't be consumers. Most people prefer personal comfort over pitching in.

Call me a pessimist, but Rasmussen Reports has a new poll to back the pessimism up. Here's what they found:

• 66 percent of Americans oppose a new energy efficiency standard that would be difficult for big-screen TVs to pass
• 53 percent think the right to buy any television they want is more important than energy efficiency
• Only 21 percent think the government should be able to ban energy-hogging devices

There were a lot of respondents who appeared unsure; only 16 percent were actually in favor of the new efficiency standard. The study was cued by a new law that will potentially pass in California, but typically enough, the majority of respondents weren't even aware of the law's existence.

One might be able to argue that the small group willing to change their habits could still make improvements. But for one, they're all young adults, 18-29 years of age. But how many 25 year olds can afford a $5,000 appliance in the first place? Most energy waste probably comes from older, more affluent segments of the population (don't ask me for a statistic on that).

The tougher problem is that the efficiency gains to be made aren't typically large in the first place, so you need more than a quarter or fifth of the population to participate.

But never fear; if you're in the energy-spending camp, you've got a great new excuse. Freakonomics points to a study that suggests overconsumption could be in some people's DNA.