Obama administration unveils new energy efficiency proposals

Earlier this year, President Obama continued his administration's energy efficiency campaign – known as the Climate Action Plan – by adding a new goal of increasing efficiency standards for appliances and federal buildings with the hope of cutting down on 3 billion metric tons of carbon pollution by 2030, an amount that translates to nearly half of the country's carbon footprint. To this end, the Department of Energy announced on August 29 some of the more specific rules that would help families and building owners achieve this goal.

According to The White House itself, these new measures target refrigerators and walk-in coolers and freezers for businesses like restaurants, convenience stores and supermarkets. The new refrigeration standards could reduce energy expenses by $4 billion and carbon emissions by 55 million metric tons over the next 30 years. The adjustments made to the market coolers and freezers could reap another $24 billion in savings and cuts of nearly 300 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.

In total, if approved, these Energy Department regulations could yield nearly $30 billion in saved power costs and diminish the country's environmental impact by 350 million metric tons. These figures are equal to the electrical consumption of 50 million homes in just one year.

American families in the Maryland and Virginia area can take greener steps of their own by scheduling an appointment for a home inspection. Professional Maryland and Virginia home inspectors can perform an energy audit of a homeowner's property, assessing how effectively a house uses power and what measures can be taken to increase efficiency and decrease utility bills.