Americans for years have been embracing new technology to make life more convenient, and at the same time grew accustomed to cheap, abundant energy to power that technology. Each year more than $500 billion is spent in the United States for energy to perform work and provide heat, and the energy needed for creating and building businesses, home-making, getting around, purchasing goods, and seeking pleasure. The decision-making exhibited while engaging in these daily activities varies widely, which results in diverse energy use behavior.

The Long-Term Impacts of Decisions

Energy-use behavior cannot be looked at just in the here and now or in isolation. Americans developed a greater reliance on heat, light, and power than any other nation, primarily due to decisions made by industry, government, and individuals of earlier generations that largely established the patterns for behavior today. Collective choices made long ago have behavioral consequences today, just as...