Miles-per-gallon is all the rage, and now the U.S. government is applying a similar scale for identifying and tracking the energy efficiency of homes, according to an article on the USA Today Web site.

According to the article, DOE is developing options with the Environmental Protection Agency, the White House and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"We want to motivate people to do retrofits cost-effective to them," said Kathleen Logan, the Department of Energy's deputy assistant secretary for energy efficiency in the article.

This tracking system, called the Energy Performance Score (EPS), incorporates a home's size, heating and cooling systems, lighting, and appliances in an overall score. Other factors, such as the home's air leakage, are also included.

So even if you drive around town in a Prius, are you coming home and parking it in a glorified Hummer? Find out this fall when the program launches.