The United States figured ninth out of twelve in a new energy efficiency ranking of the world's major economies published today by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).
The United Kingdom came in at No. 1 in the first ever International Energy Efficiency Scorecard, with Germany, Italy and Japan filling the next three places.
The rankings are modeled on ACEEE's time-tested approach to the energy efficiency ranking of US states, and include 12 of the world's largest economies: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.
These 12 economies represent over 78 percent of global gross domestic product, 63 percent of global energy consumption; and 62 percent of the global carbon-dioxide equivalent emissions.
"The UK and the leading economies of Europe are now well ahead of the United States when it comes to energy efficiency,” said ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel. “This is significant because countries that use energy more efficiently require fewer resources to achieve the same goals, thus reducing costs, preserving valuable natural resources, and creating jobs.
“Unfortunately, our results show that nowhere is the vast potential for improvements in energy efficiency being completely realized. While many countries achieved notable success, none received a perfect score in any category - proving that there is much that all countries can still learn from each other. For example, the United States scored relatively high in buildings, but was at the bottom of the list in transportation."
The ACEEE ranking system looks at both "policy metrics" and "performance metrics" to measure a country's overall energy efficiency. Examples of policy metrics include the presence of a national energy savings target, fuel economy standards for vehicles, and energy efficiency standards for appliances.
The "performance metrics" measure energy use and provide quantifiable results. Examples of performance metrics include the amount of energy consumed by a country relative to its gross domestic product, average miles per gallon of on-road passenger vehicles, and energy consumed per square foot of floor space in residential buildings.
The ACEEE report raises the critical question: How can the United States compete in a global economy if it continues to waste money and energy that other industrialized nations save and can reinvest?
The new report outlines a number of recommendations for the United States including a national energy savings target, financial incentives to encourage investment in energy efficiency and an increase in national funding for public transit, freight rail, and non-motorized modes of transportation.
On a scale of 100 possible points in 27 categories, the economies were ranked by ACEEE as follows:
1. The United Kingdom
2. Germany
3. Italy
4. Japan
5. France
6. The European Union, Australia, and China (3-way tie)
9. The United States
10. Brazil
11. Canada
12. Russia
http://aceee.org/portal/national-policy/international-scorecard
