Energy-conscious firms find ways to use less as growth fuels demand

While Congress debates the merits of revamping regulations that slow gas, electrical, coal and power production, some companies, but not all, are taking steps in day-to-day business practices to conserve energy and resources.

The bad news is that the power drain isn’t expected to go away any time soon. More than 76 million residential buildings and nearly 5 million commercial buildings exist in the United States. They use one-third of all the energy consumed, and two-thirds of all the electricity. By the year 2010, another 38 million buildings are expected to be constructed, all this according to the Department of Energy’s…