U.S. falls at the bottom of international energy efficiency rankings
In an international energy efficiency ranking released by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Germany comes in first, followed by Italy, the European Union, China, and France. The rankings include 16 of the world's largest economies -- Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union -- representing more than 81 percent of global gross domestic product and 71 percent of global energy consumption.
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Credit: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy |
Despite their high rankings, ACEEE says there are still substantial opportunities for improved energy efficiency in all of the economies analyzed. While some countries are still significantly outperforming others, there are substantial opportunities for improved energy efficiency in the U.S., ACEEE contends -- which ranked 13th out of 16 nations behind countries such as China, Canada, and India.
ACEEE expects the new carbon pollution standards for existing power plants proposed this June by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be a major step in the right direction for the energy efficiency of the United States. Further, the organization says that dozens of other international best practices exist that the U.S. could implement.
"Germany is a prime example of a nation that has made energy efficiency a top priority," ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel said. "The United States, long considered an innovative and competitive world leader, has progressed slowly and has made limited progress since our last report, even as Germany, Italy, China, and other nations surge ahead."
In a statement, Dr. Philipp Ackermann, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, Chargé d'Affaires, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, recognized the honor as a "validation that Germany's measures are bearing fruit in its ongoing efforts to transition towards a low-carbon and energy-efficient economy" while calling out energy efficiency as the "second pillar of Germany's transformation of its energy system alongside the expansion of renewable energies."
"Every kilowatt hour of electricity that is not consumed saves on fossil fuels and the construction of power plants and grids," Ackermann said.
The ACEEE report points out the inefficiency of the U.S. economy, equating it to "a tremendous waste of energy resources and money."
The report says: "Across most metrics analyzed in this International Scorecard, in the past decade the United States has made limited progress toward greater efficiency at the national level. The overall U.S. score of 42 is less than half of the possible points and is 23 points away from the top spot. Further, the United States falls behind Canada, Australia, India, and South Korea. These scores suggest that this list of countries may have an economic advantage over the United States because using less energy to produce and transport the same economic output costs them less. Their efforts to improve efficiency likely make their economies more nimble and resilient."
Countries that use energy more efficiently use fewer resources to achieve the same goals, reducing costs, preserving resources, and gaining a competitive edge. So, going forward, how can the U.S. compete globally when it continues to waste money and energy that other industrialized nations save and can reinvest?
ACEEE outlines a number of recommendations for the United States, highlighting four major opportunities for increased energy efficiency, including passing a national energy savings target; strengthening national model building energy codes; supporting education and training in the industrial sectors; and prioritizing energy efficiency in transportation spending.
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