Energy Plasma

There's an article on the SMH talking about proposed Australian government energy regulations that could make plasma screen televisions illegal. While I understand where they're coming from with this idea, it really is pretty dumb. Under the scheme, watching an energy-guzzling 60 inch plasma behemoth for half an hour a week is pure evil, but it's just peachy to run 1500 energy efficient bulbs 24x7 in my basement (in case you're confused, it's a hydroponic marijuana plantation). A device's potential energy usage is only a very flimsy guide to its environmental impact, and any usage pattern that doesn't fit a precise average is going to produce numbers moderately less accurate than those divined from the entrails of a sacrificial yak.

A far more sensible way to encourage efficiency is to add a carbon offset charge to the price of energy. If you're a good citizen and use energy-efficient devices, your offset charge is small. If you burn more joules than a Las Vegas casino, your offset charge is enormous. If you have a few big-power devices but only use them sparingly, your offset charge is moderate. The financial incentives match the environmental impacts, which is what is wanted from this kind of scheme. It even integrates with green power, as the offset charges for using wind or solar would be dramatically less than brown coal power stations, encouraging people to switch to green power providers. There's a certain amount of weirdness associated with exactly how much this carbon tax would be, and what happens when we run out of dirt where we can plant fields of trees, but it's miles better than what is proposed. It also avoids highly the subjective arguments about the definition of luxury devices and energy usage that are implied by the proposed legislation. Six air conditioners and a Jumboplasma 6000 Ultra are fine as long as the energy they suck down is offset, or if they're powered by clean energy. Or if they're switched off.

I'd be interested to see how much offsetting my own yearly energy usage would cost me. I flew to Melbourne a couple of weekends ago with Virgin Blue, and they provided a very easy option to make my flight carbon neutral. This was pretty cool, and pretty much the perfect level of involvement from me - check the box, ten bucks or so are added to the flight, and I'm done. Perhaps an optional charge is a good starting point for home energy as well.