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Energy efficiency. Those two words are becoming as commonplace as "Good morning," "Can you believe how high gas prices are?" and "Not another Paris Hilton in jail story!" But energy efficiency is important and something we must attain at all levels — from consumers to contractors to manufacturers. And the reality is most everyone is jumping on board the Energy Efficiency Train.

We all know that energy prices are higher and more than likely will remain that way. Most of us know that there are no new utility plants on the horizon and that energy in all of its forms will remain in tight supply. The only option is to keep energy costs from getting too high and the supply from getting too short. That is where energy efficiency comes into play.

Many entities are on board or getting on board the energy efficiency train, from governments (local, state and federal) to manufacturers. There are private entities as well, such as the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) and Consortium for Energy Efficiency Inc., which are noted in the commercial lighting article on page 22.

In its newsletter, Lutron highlights energy efficiency. Its most recent issue examines the energy savings from dimming systems compared to dual-level switching. They claim dimming switches save 33 percent more in energy than dual-level switching. Manufacturers worldwide are pushing their energy-efficient products.

Increasingly, so are electrical contractors. Commercial Lighting & Electric Inc., an electrical contractor based in several Western states, is one firm at the forefront of energy efficiency products. As Dylan Arnold, sales engineer for Commercial Lighting & Electric, explains, his company will work with their customers from the planning stages to well after the system has been installed by monitoring and even remotely managing it.

In addition, more consumers — from commercial and industrial to residential — are opting for more daylighting to help cut their energy costs. And because in some areas of the country where electricity can be unreliable or to insure against power outages due to Mother Nature, more consumers are installing standby generators for their businesses and homes. Standby generator sales have enjoyed double-digit sales increases in recent years, which is detailed in the article on page 14. There must be a reason.

But while there are an increasing number of success stories on the energy-efficient front, there is still a long way to go. More contractors and distributors need to stock, design and sell energy-efficient lighting and electrical equipment. More consumers need to request it. More utilities need to offer rebate programs. And, more manufacturers need to provide affordable energy-efficient products.