HOW DOES YOUR STATE STACK UP FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY?

There is a non-profit organization called the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy that is dedicated to the advancement of energy efficiency policies, programs and technologies. They report an “ Energy Efficiency Scorecard “ that ranks the major global leading countries, the top American states and the leading U.S. cities on the policies and programs that save energy benefit the environment and promote economic growth.

Americans might be pretty surprised to find out where we rank globally, as well as which states and cities in the U.S. are leading the way with energy efficiency. (It is probably not what you think)

International Efficiency

Each year the world’s largest economies are ranked by the (ACEEE) which produces an “International Energy Efficiency Scorecard “ which measures these leading countries on their energy efficiency policies and programs. The rankings include Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Mexico, South Korea, The United Kingdom, The European Union, Australia, Canada, France, India Japan, Russia, Spain and The United States. On the International level, the United States currently ranks 13^th. Lack of environmentally conscience building codes, outdated manufacturing facilities and a lack of a strong efficiency plan on transportation.

State Level:

Following similar criteria, each state was ranked for efficiency. The top 10 states for energy efficiency were as follows:

1) Massachusetts                                                6) Connecticut

2) California                                                         7) Maryland

3) Vermont                                                           8) Washington

4) Rhode Island                                                   9) New York

5) Oregon                                                             10) Minnesota and Illinois (tied)

Massachusetts once again remained in the top spot for the fifth consecutive year. This was primarily based on their commitment to energy efficiency. In California, their mandates for a reduction in greenhouse gas and their major efforts for energy efficiency in schools, put them only a half-point behind Massachusetts in the state rankings.

U.S. CITIES

For the second consecutive time, Boston earned the top spot in the 2015 City Scorecard. Boston is represented as strong in all policy areas and buildings energy and water utilities were all strong points. The top five was rounded out by New York City, Washington DC, San Francisco and Seattle. Each of these cities have strong efficiency policies and programs and have been effective at implementing efficiency initiatives. The rest of the top ten were Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, Austin and Denver.

The main purpose of these ranking are to recognize the groups and entities that are pioneering the way towards a more energy efficient world. They are also designed to help other nations, states and cities develop a blueprint on effective ways to improve themselves.

To find out more information about where your city ranks and how you can do your part to improve energy efficiency, visit us at http://naea.wpengine.com/request-pricing/ to have one of our senior advisors provide you with more information.

Matt Helland
Senior Vice President – North American Energy Advisory

Sources:
http://www.newrepublic.com
http://aceee.org