One of President Obama’s first acts was to call for a revolution in energy efficiency. Simply by making our appliances and electronics use less energy, Americans can save money, create jobs and fight global warming. Efficiency is the fastest, cleanest and cheapest energy source.

It’s not just about changing light bulbs. It’s about setting benchmarks to make all the products we use more efficient. Adopting strong national energy efficiency standards could save consumers $16 billion a year in utility bills by 2030.

Soon after taking office, President Obama directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to review appliance standards for the appliances that will save the most energy and the most money. In the coming months, standards will be reviewed for refrigerators, clothes washers, air conditioners, water heaters, and even drink vending machines. To start, DOE is currently considering standards for fluorescent tube lights that, over the next 30 years, could save enough energy to power every household in America for a year.

And that’s not all:

• Adopting the strongest achievable efficiency standards for all appliances to be reviewed would eliminate the need for 200 new power plants.
• These standards would cut emissions of 150 million metric tons of global warming gases each year.
• Achieving President Obama’s goal of cutting Americans’ use of electricity by 15 percent plus cutting natural gas use by 10 percent, would create 222,000 permanent net jobs by 2020.

It’s a no-brainer. But lobbyists for manufacturers like General Electric, Whirlpool and Sylvania don’t get it. They argue that the weak economy means we can’t afford to make our appliances more efficient—when the truth is we can’t afford not to.

Tell Energy Secretary Steven Chu to stand up to those who would hold America back. The more comments DOE receives from ordinary Americans in support of efficiency, the more they’ll be encouraged to set ambitious standards. Become a citizen of the United States of Efficiency today!