Who are the most and least energy-efficient states?

October 9, 2015 | By

Energy is one of the biggest household expenses for American consumers, with even broader implications on the national economy and environment, as demonstrated by a new report by WalletHub, which measures the efficiency of car and home energy consumption in 48 states.

Credit: wissanu99

In fact, an estimated $520 billion initial investment on energy-efficiency measures could save the economy more than $1.2 trillion in the future and potentially reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 1.1 gigatons -- the equivalent of taking the entire U.S. fleet of passenger vehicles and light trucks off the roads, according to a McKinsey & Company report.

According to the WalletHub data, from which Alaska and Hawaii were excluded due to data limitations, the most energy-efficienct states, in order, are: New York, Vermont, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Utah, Rhode Island, Colorado, California, Connecticut and Nevada.

The least energy-efficient states are: Virginia, Georgia, West Virginia, North Dakota, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas, Louisiana, and South Carolina.

To improve energy efficiency, a host of technologies are recommended by WalletHub's panel of experts.

Thomas E. Drennen, professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, suggests replacing all incandescents with LEDs, sealing cracks around foundations and windows, and upgrading insulation. The first two are low-hanging fruit which will pay for themselves in less than a year. If heating and cooling systems are outdated, replacing them with modern high-efficiency systems can be cost effective. Installing solar panels also offers great incentives in states like New York, New Jersey and California.

Utilities are regarded as an important energy-efficiency resource for customers. Many utilities make it easy for customers to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. If customers would just do a little homework, they would find sources of savings easily like options for energy audits, financing and rebates.

Utility energy-efficiency programs do more than just save energy and money for consumers. They can also reduce greenhouse gases and generate jobs. In response to both economic concerns and climate change, legislators and regulators have supported energy efficiency at unprecedented levels, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), and states that have not previously engaged in efficiency programs are now taking advantage.

For more:
- see this report
- visit this website

© 2015 FierceMarkets, a division of Questex, LLC. All rights reserved.

http://www.smartgridnews.com/story/bottom-10-who-are-least-energy-efficient-states/2015-10-09?