Grey energy: hidden expenditure of energy
Grey energy is the energy hidden in a product, i.e. the amount of energy required to extract that product from nature, or to cultivate, manufacture, package and transport it. Objects can conceal very different levels of grey energy: for example an apple that is grown locally or one that is shipped from from New Zealand to Europe.
This means that buying a product automatically equates to the expenditure of grey energy. Yet consumers almost never think about grey energy. Because no figures are provided for this form of energy consumption, consumers most often forget that they are also paying for it. In actual fact, every household in Europe consumes twice as much grey energy as it does more conventional energy (heating, light, television, etc.)!
