Report: Vermont most energy efficient state

Submitted by tim on Tue, 10/07/2014 - 08:50

Vermont ranks number one in energy efficiency according to a study undertaken by wallethub.com. Energy constitutes one of the biggest expenses for consumers. The study was based on “home-related energy efficiency” and “car-related energy efficiency.” According to wallethub, the average American household spends more than $2,200 a year on energy bills, almost half of which goes to heating and cooling expenses.

Overall Rank	State	Home-Related Energy Efficiency	Car-Related Energy Efficiency
1	Vermont	2	4
2	New York	6	6
3	Wisconsin	8	11
4	California	14	5
5	Rhode Island	11	9
6	Minnesota	4	18
7	Colorado	7	20
8	Utah	1	28
9	Maine	3	32
10	Michigan	20	13
11	Nevada	12	23
12	Connecticut	23	12
13	Massachusetts	16	21
14	New Hampshire	5	36
T-15	Delaware	31	8
T-15	Idaho	13	30
17	Florida	37	1
18	New Mexico	17	26
19	Indiana	33	7
20	Arizona	28	14
21	Montana	9	39
22	North Carolina	41	2
23	Ohio	29	17
24	Kansas	32	15
25	Maryland	30	19
26	Illinois	22	29
27	Oregon	21	33
28	Washington	26	27
T-29	Alabama	46	3
T-29	Wyoming	10	47
31	South Dakota	15	46
32	Georgia	45	10
33	Iowa	19	45
34	Oklahoma	38	22
35	New Jersey	24	40
36	Tennessee	44	16
37	North Dakota	18	48
38	Mississippi	39	24
39	Pennsylvania	25	42
40	Nebraska	27	41
41	Missouri	36	31
42	West Virginia	42	25
43	Virginia	35	35
44	Arkansas	40	34
45	Texas	34	44
46	Kentucky	43	37
47	Louisiana	48	38
48	South Carolina	47	43
N/A*	Alaska
N/A*	Hawaii
N/A*	District of Columbia

*Due to data limitations, Alaska, Hawaii and the District of Columbia were excluded from wallethub analysis.

For the entire country, energy plays a key role as well. Besides having an impact on our environment, it is essential to our national security and prosperity. And its economic implications are great. A McKinsey & Company report estimated that a $520 billion initial investment on energy efficiency measures could save the economy more than $1.2 trillion. In addition, annual greenhouse gas emissions could potentially be reduced by 1.1 gigatons — “the equivalent of taking the entire U.S. fleet of passenger vehicles and light trucks off the roads.”

In light of National Energy Awareness Month, WalletHub measured the energy efficiency of cars and homes in each of 48 states. We did so in order to encourage consumers to improve their own energy efficiency practices. Below, you can find the results of our study as well as additional insight from experts and a detailed methodology.

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Methodology

To identify the most energy-efficient states, WalletHub analyzed 48 states based on two key dimensions, including “home-related energy efficiency” and “car-related energy efficiency.” We obtained the former by calculating the ratio between the total residential energy consumption and annual degree days. For the latter, we divided the annual vehicle miles driven by the gallons of gasoline consumed. Each dimension was weighted proportionally to reflect national consumption patterns.

Home-Related Energy Efficiency - Total Weight: 5.5

Home-Related Energy Efficiency = Total Residential Energy Consumption per Capita / Degree-Days

Car-Related Energy Efficiency - Total Weight: 4.5

Car-Related Energy Efficiency = Annual Vehicle Miles Driven / Gallons of Gasoline Consumed

Sources: Data used to create these rankings is courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Climatic Data Center, the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the Federal Highway Administration.