Summary::
Distinguishing between the word ‘energy’ and the term ‘energy use’ allows the mind to appreciate that something which is a resource and something which is an action are better referred to using different terms rather than using the same term for both.
Introduction::
When becoming newly acquainted with EnergyUse Strategy Advisors, people commonly ask two questions. They ask why we use the term ‘energy use’ rather than the single word ‘energy’. And they ask what we mean by strategy. Allow me to address only the first of those questions here. You will find my explanation of the strategy idea in another essay on this website.
The Word ‘Energy’::
Energy in the business world is a resource. And a commodity. It can be bought, stored, and sold, but generally it is simply used. Energy is a resource that allows work to be done.
This attribute of providing the potential to do work is also how physicists define energy. Confusingly they also tell us that everything – you, me, an atom, and a far distant star – are all made up entirely of energy. That’s not the definition we are talking about here.
The word energy has other meanings, too. People are described as being full of energy, or of not having any energy after a long day at work. Those with certain views about things spiritual, not physical, also use the term energy to describe some particular phenomenon as they understand them. They refer to healing energy and to doing energy work, a phrase which physicists must find as confusing as many of us find theirs.
The Term ‘Energy Use’::
Energy use is a much less complex term. This is one of the reasons we like it so much. It does not mean many vastly different things to different people. It means the action of getting that work done which a business buys energy to do. It covers all those activities that occur between the point where energy is a resource, and the work where that energy is put to work, leading to some outcome.
There is a simple way of looking at this – your business might burn natural gas to release heat that makes your office building habitable in the winter. That is energy use. But there are concentric circles of complexity that can be added to that view, developing into full energy-use ecosystem.
What Is the Value In Differentiating ‘Energy’ from ‘Energy Use’?::
Choosing to use the term ‘energy use’ makes our life a lot simpler here at ESA. It avoids confusion. We hope it will make your life simpler, too. It will be easier to get on with the job at hand, which is to ensure that your organization’s use of energy creates the most possible value for its entire cast of stakeholders.
Examples of Parallel Cases of Differentiating a Resource and an Action::
It is not all that common in the business world to encounter the term ‘energy use’ as a clear and distinct differentiator of an action from a resource. In economics and statistics, however, the term ‘energy use’ is found frequently and the distinction is not questioned; economists and statisticians already treat energy and energy use as two different things. The terms ‘land use’ and ‘water use’ are even more common in economics and statistics. However, again these two terms seem to be uncommon in the commercial, industrial, and finance sectors, with the exception of references to agriculture.
Your Opinion?
What do you think? Is it valuable to you to have a distinct term for the business activity that entails procuring energy, putting it to us, deriving value from that use, and dealing with the costs, pollutants, risks, regulations, etc? Do you value the distinction but prefer a different term to ‘energy use’? Your comments and insights are most welcome.