What is a negawatt? Technically, negawatts do not exist. It is a term that was coined by Amory Lovins, supposedly originating from a typo. It means what you would guess: negative megawatts. Essentially, it’s the energy you save, a megawatt that wasn’t spent that might have been.

“Using negawatts” is said to be one of the major ways to reduce energy usage. How can you use negawatts? Any time that you choose to do/use something more efficiently, it is considered as generating negawatts. Here are some ways to “generate” negawatts:

• Do not use standby or sleep for your computers when you leave them for long period of time; shut them off. Yes, it might take about five more seconds to turn on, but you will save energy.
• Consider plugging all “vampire” appliances (the ones that, when turned off, still use energy: computers, TVs, stereos, chargers) into a power strip so they can be completely shut off with one touch. It has been estimated that in the United States, 5% of energy usage actually comes from these devices. What part of this are you contributing? Wasted energy in this category might be costing you as much as 10% of your electric bill.
• Use CFLs and other Energy Star appliances.
• Take your heater level down just one degree; you might save as much as 10% on your bills. If you’re out of your home for most of the day, make sure to adjust your heating system to be parallel with your lifestyle. There is no sense in keeping a house warm while no one is in it.
• When the temperature starts to drop, especially at night, close your curtains. Windows let in more cold than you might expect. Pulling down the shades or closing curtains will help the house retain heat at night. Conversely, during the day, you will want to let in as much sunlight as possible.

Like wisegeek.com states, “If a penny saved is a penny earned, energy saved can be thought of in much the same way. Or, a megawatt saved is a negawatt earned.”

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