El ascensor nuevo consume menos energía que el antiguo.

The new elevator consumes less energy than the old one.

Breakdown of El ascensor nuevo consume menos energía que el antiguo.

• nuevo: new
• la energía: the energy
• antiguo: old
• el ascensor: the elevator

Questions & Answers about El ascensor nuevo consume menos energía que el antiguo.

Why is nuevo placed after ascensor? Could I say nuevo ascensor?

In Spanish most descriptive adjectives follow the noun, so ascensor nuevo sounds more natural than nuevo ascensor. Placing nuevo before the noun is not grammatically wrong, but it’s rare and can add special emphasis or a poetic tone. Stick to the post-noun position for everyday speech.

How does the comparative structure menos … que work in this sentence?

Spanish uses menos X que to mean “less X than.” Here:
• menos energía = “less energy”
• que el antiguo = “than the old one”
Together: “consumes less energy than the old one.” You form other comparatives similarly: más X que (“more X than”) or tan X como (“as X as”).

Why does the sentence end with el antiguo instead of repeating el ascensor antiguo?

Spanish allows an adjective plus its article to stand in for a previously mentioned noun. El antiguo literally means “the old one.” It avoids repetition and is perfectly clear because you already introduced ascensor at the start.

Why is there no article before energía? Would consume la energía be wrong?