While energy efficiency continues to gain traction in the United States, slowly but surely making a transition from controversial debate topic to a full-fledged lifestyle choice, the green movement still has a long way to go. According to a new analysis from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a research center funded by the Department of Energy, despite recent strides made in green living, the country has still only reached 39 percent efficiency.

Greentech Media reports the study's findings, highlighting that a 39 percent efficiency rating also means that 61 percent of the energy generated and used by Americans every day ends up becoming wasted completely. Put numerically, the source documents that out of the 95.1 quadrillion British thermal units of raw energy that were used by the U.S. economy throughout last year, only 37 quadrillion were used constructively.

The study attributes this relatively low rating to the general inefficiency of power plants and gas-engine vehicles, but also points to the fact that the country is simply generating more energy than it's conserving, leading to greater amounts of waste. In other words, because growth among industries like manufacturing and transportation has generated more demand for electricity, there's more energy available to waste. Another significant contributor to this waste, according to the data, can be found on the home front, with efficient use of household energy dropping from an average of 80 percent to 65.

Maryland homeowners can do their part to reverse these figures by scheduling an appointment for a home inspection. By working together with Maryland home inspectors, you can identify just how efficiently your home uses power and take measures to curb those electricity demands, helping the country's greater conservation efforts but also saving you on monthly utility costs as well.