Efficiency is the cornerstone of engineering. When designing a new product, engineers are trained to shave unnecessary ounces and eliminate needless power draws. But only up to a point. Enough is enough. Any more is considered a waste of money and resources. Sometimes, though, the real breakthrough occurs when a designer reconsiders how much is enough.

Read Amory Lovins’ latest thinking on energy-efficient integrative design in Mechanical Engineering magazine’s August issue.