The United States is slowly but surely making more impressive gains in the field of energy efficiency, with increasing numbers of American homeowners and businesses looking to adopt greener measures that will serve to reduce both harmful carbon dioxide emissions and costly monthly utility bills. Now, a new analysis from the government's Energy Information Administration (EIA) has helped to quantify exactly how much the country has improved in becoming more efficient.

Citing a new EIA study, Earth Techling reports that 14.2 percent of the energy used by Americans in the first half of 2013 was clean, generated from completely renewable sources. The data from a six-month period, spanning January to June of this year, shows that, compared to 2012:

• Geothermal sources received a 3.4 percent bump
• Solar energy increased by 56.9 percent
• Wind power grew by 15.3 percent

"The growth of renewable energy over the past several years has been remarkable and with the right policies in place at the federal level, the potential for future growth will be much greater," said Amy Davidsen, U.S. Executive Director for The Climate Group, in an official statement.

The EIA also reveals that the number of renewable, non-hydro energy sources has nearly quadrupled its output over the last 10 years, from 2.05 percent to its current 7.71 percent.

Homeowners in Washington D.C. looking to live in energy efficient homes of their own are encouraged to schedule an appointment for a home inspection. DC home inspectors can identify ways in which a house may be consuming unnecessary amounts of power and can recommend steps to resolve these issues, leading to cheaper utility expenses in the long run.