Decline in Energy Use in the Seventies and Early Eighties.

摘要

The key to the decline in US energy consumption in the seventies and eighties lies in the US industrial sector. Changes in its output -- both in quantity and product mix -- led to large decreases in energy use which have persisted to the end of the present decade. Energy saving through improvements in efficiency in the industrial sector, over and above those associated with normal capital stock turnover, appear to be much smaller than those associated with change in the output of the sector. Some of these changes were evident before the rise in the price of fuels in the seventies, but most were set in motion by the price increases. Energy-intensive industries have continued to decline, and import reliance on their products has increased. This is tantamount to importing energy in the form of products that has no expression in tallies of annual US energy use. By contrast, conservation in other end-use sectors has shown a strong price elasticity. 12 refs., 8 figs.