Use less, waste less: The cheapest energy is the energy you never use. Energy conservation and energy efficiency both cut demand.
The points to remember
- Energy conservation = changing behaviour to use less energy.
- Energy efficiency = technology that gives the same result with less energy.
- Both cut demand, so a country needs to import less fuel.
- Conservation is often free; efficiency usually costs money up front but saves it later.
Remember it as: Conservation: do less. Efficiency: waste less.
Conservation (behaviour)
- Switch off lights and standby
- Heating down, jumper on
- Bus or bike, not car
Efficiency (technology)
- LED lighting with sensors
- Insulated, well-designed homes
- Efficient appliances, heat pumps
Real example: since 2005 Japan's 'Cool Biz' campaign has asked offices to set air conditioning to 28°C and let staff leave off jackets and ties: a change of behaviour, not of technology.
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Energy conservation means using less: at home, at work and when travelling. Transport matters most for countries that import oil.
The points to remember
- Turn off lights and devices; use daylight; do not leave things on standby.
- Turn down heating and air conditioning; take shorter hot showers.
- Travel less by fuel-driven vehicles: public transport, walking, cycling, car sharing.
- Governments help: congestion charges, carbon taxes on fuel, cycle-to-work schemes, campaigns.
- Industry: run machines for less time; work from home; buy local goods.
Home
- Lights and standby off
- Heating and cooling turned down
Travel
- Bus, train, bike, walking
- Car sharing; fewer flights
Government
- Congestion charge, fuel tax
- Campaigns, cycle lanes
Two answers that are not conservation: 'Use renewable energy' changes the source, not the amount used. 'Build new roads' encourages more driving.
Real example: since 2003 drivers entering central London on weekdays have paid a congestion charge, which cut traffic and pushed more people onto buses, trains and bicycles.
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Energy efficiency means getting the same light, heat or transport from less energy, through better design and technology.
The points to remember
- Housing designed to keep heat in (insulation, triple glazing) or keep heat out (shading, reflective roofs).
- Low-energy intelligent lighting: LEDs use at least 75% less energy; sensors switch them off.
- Efficient appliances with energy labels; heat pumps; smart meters to show use.
- Ships with sails (wind-assisted shipping) burn less fuel.
- Goods designed to be repaired and recycled (the circular economy) save the energy of making new ones.
Passivhaus homes
Thick insulation and airtight walls: heating needs at most 15 kWh per square metre a year, a fraction of a normal home.
Heat pumps
Move heat from outside air or ground into the home: 3-4 units of heat for every unit of electricity.
Sails on ships
Rigid sails on cargo ships use the wind to cut the fuel the engines burn.
Design for recycling
Phones and goods that can be repaired and taken apart save the energy of making new ones.
Real example: the European Union phased out ordinary incandescent light bulbs between 2009 and 2012, so shops now sell LEDs, which use at least 75% less electricity and last up to 25 times longer.
For a country that imports its fuel, saving energy is also a way to protect itself from other countries' decisions.
The points to remember
- Every unit of energy saved is a unit not imported.
- Using less makes a country less exposed to price rises and supply cuts: energy security.
- Saving energy is the fastest and often the cheapest way to cut imports.
- It also cuts emissions and air pollution.
Use less
- Conservation and efficiency cut demand.
Import less
- Less coal, oil and gas bought abroad.
More secure
- Less exposed to price shocks and supply cuts; lower emissions.
Real example: after Russia cut gas supplies in 2022, the European Union asked its members to save gas; between August 2022 and March 2023 they used about 18% less than the average of the five years before.
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The guide asks you to judge how effective two examples are. Ask: how much energy did it save, for how long, and at what cost?
The points to remember
- Effective when many people take part, it is enforced, and it lasts.
- Behaviour change can be fast but may fade once a crisis passes.
- Efficiency lasts for the life of the equipment, but costs up front.
- Rebound effect: when energy becomes cheaper to use, people may use more of it.
- Reduction on a graph = demand without measures − demand with measures, in the same year.
Worked example: In Valdora, demand in 2040 is about 1,720 million kWh without efficiency practices and about 950 with them. Reduction = 1,720 − 950 = 770 million kWh.
Strengths
- Fast and cheap (conservation)
- Long-lasting (efficiency)
- Cuts imports and emissions
Limits
- Behaviour fades after a crisis
- Up-front cost of new technology
- Rebound: cheaper energy, more use
How this comes up: Paper 1 (May 2026): a country's energy mix, then 'suggest how it could lower its carbon footprint through changes in its energy mix, energy conservation and energy efficiency' [3]: one mark for each heading.
The figure shows the sources of electricity in Poland in 2024.
With reference to the figure, suggest how Poland could lower its carbon footprint through changes in its energy mix, energy conservation and energy efficiency.
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