Home appliances soon will have to meet stricter energy-efficiency standards. President Obama has ordered the Department of Energy to raise the efficiency bar for a wide range of home appliances. Those include dishwashers, ovens, air conditioners - even lamps.

James L Sweeney, a professor at Stanford: "Old refrigerators or old appliances that are very inefficient can be replaced with newer ones that use a lot less energy. The cleanest energy is the energy that you don't need in the first place. "

The President estimates the changes could save consumers $500 billion in electric bills over 30 years. Those energy savings means cutting the emissions that cause global warming. Obama says as much as two years worth of emissions from every coal fire power plant in America.

Obama's energy policy is designed to help both industry and consumers move toward a clean energy future. And the stimulus package helps with $300 million to fund a rebate program for energy efficient appliances.