I consider myself a fan, member, and participant of the social media community known as #EnergyTwitter-- a group of energy professionals, academics, and enthusiasts who use Twitter. As such, I want to periodically start a series where I bring over some interesting conversations going on amid #EnergyTwitter and see what Energy Central community members think.

The first such Tweet came earlier this week in talking about the relative value energy efficiency as a clean energy strategy (in the axiom of 'the cheapest and cleanest energy is the one that we don't use") compared with renewable energy. The original Tweet, linked here and screenshot below, asks why it's so often and confidently repeated that energy efficiency is the cheapest and easiest source of cleaning up the energy sector.

The POV of this Tweet is that efficiency measures are actually quite expensive in many situations, and the costs are not declining like some renewable energy sources are-- so if investments and capital much be put towards one or the other, should it not be renewables?

On the other hand, some of the responses pointed out that energy efficiency measures, when assessed properly, actually are very profitable investments that should be fostered. For example, see this screenshot of a response supporting the investment of energy efficiency measures as affordable and worthwhile 'clean energy' solutions:

So the question I have, Energy Central, is where do you fall on this debate? Are energy efficiency measures as affordable and worthwhile as renewable energy investments? Are renewables trending in a direction to upend energy efficiency as the best path? Let's continue the #EnergyTwitter discussion below!

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