What's the difference between 'energy conservation' and 'energy efficiency'?

Why do energy companies promote energy conservation and efficiency?

• My gas company gave me a free energy audit of my home, and offers generous rebates to install insulation and other energy saving products. I don't understand why they do this. ...show more

• Answer:

  Very simple even if you cut back they are still going to make money. There is no threat that they will lose money, the population in 1945 was 2 billion now it is 6.5 billion and modest estimates put it at 9 billion by 2050 even if we cut back there will be even more need. Building new factories be it gas or electricity or whatever, cost and cause concern from customers where an evenly controlled need makes a steady profit. By helping individuals go green they gain favor with government and also customers that translates into good will which in business generally means money. Even if it is so successful that the need goes down and the company starts to lose money, they simply would raise the cost to where they would make enough money to stay in a profitable business and government would have no problem with it and most consumers would have little problem with it. (If they showed you a way to only use 1/100 the power a week you use now and there would be no pollution and no power plants that people would have to live by how could you complain even if the price jumped 100 times as expensive. Because you would still pay the same but the resources will last longer and you will have less pollution)