Energy Conservation Has Appeal, But Will It Deliver Bang For Buck?(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(NATIONAL ISSUE)

Byline: Charles Oliver

Americans say they want to conserve energy. A CBS poll taken just before therelease of President Bush's energy program found that Americans favor conservation over more energy production by a huge 60% to 26% margin.

But given the choice of spending more now to save on energy in the future, Americans would rather save money now and pay more for energy later.

That's why environmentalists say they need a little nudging from the government.

"Take the car market," said Walter Short, a policy analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. "New-car buyers on average are wealthier than all car buyers. They are less concerned about operating costs --fuel efficiency -- than used-car buyers. But the tastes of new-car buyers do alot to determine the used-car market. They lock other consumers into their choices."

Fuel-efficiency standards help bring autos that use less gasoline to the market. And energy standards for appliances get consumers to buy models that use less power.

Short also cites the example of remote-controlled televisions. Such TVs use power even when they're off. Energy-efficient models use less power.