As we've discussed previously, energy efficiency offers tremendous potential to slash energy waste, save consumers enormous amounts of money (Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute has estimated that by 2050, energy efficiency measures could save the U.S. economy upwards of half a trillion dollars) and cut pollution. Despite all these advantages, energy efficiency's potential remains underutilized. Part of the reason for this is that, as Matthew Wald of the New York Times explained to us, it costs money - and time and effort - to save money via energy efficiency improvements. Part of it may be a matter of better communication, as Jennifer Layke has suggested. And part of it is clearly a matter of enacting government policies that discourage waste and encourage energy efficiency.