The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Education have joined with the National Science Teachers Association to launch America’s Home Energy Education Challenge, a new energy education initiative. The goal is to motivate students across the country to learn about energy efficiency and help their families save money.

A bill in the Senate aims to update the efficiency standards of appliances and building systems, including furnaces, heat pumps, and central air conditioners. Titled the “Implementation of National Consensus Appliance Agreements Act of 2011,” it divides the nation into three regions with different efficiency standards for each. It also recommends more stringent building codes for new construction.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Fuel Cell Technologies Program will host a webinar with the Clean Energy States Alliance and the Technology Transition Corp. titled “Fuel Cells for Supermarkets” on April 4 from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern time. The webinar will detail the experiences that supermarkets in four states have had with stationary fuel cells.

Refrigeration contractors and technicians who work in the domestic refrigeration sector should be aware of increased efficiency standards that are also affecting ice making equipment and room air conditioners. And all those in refrigeration should look at such efficiency upgrades as a growing trend across the board.