UK tops energy efficiency ranking

• 12 years ago (2012-07-16)
• Junior Isles

Asia 892 Europe 1089 North America 1021

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The United Kingdom topped a new energy efficiency ranking of the world's major economies by the non-profit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE).

The UK is way ahead of the US in efficiency, followed closely by Germany, Italy, and Japan according to the first-ever International Energy Efficiency Scorecard (ACEEE). The report finds that the US has made "limited or little progress toward greater efficiency at the national level [in the last decade]," placing it 9th out of 12 leading economies.

The ranking is modelled on ACEEE's existing method for ranking US states’ energy efficiency, and grades 12 of the world's key economies on a scale of 100 possible points, in 27 separate categories.

Together, these 12 economies represent over 78 per cent of global gross domestic product; 63 per cent of global energy consumption; and 62 per cent of global CO2e emissions.

The nations ranked by ACEEE were : (1) the United Kingdom; (2) Germany; (3) Italy; (4) Japan; (5) France; (6) the European Union, Australia, and China (3-way tie); (9) the US; (10) Brazil; (11) Canada; and (12) Russia.

ACEEE divided the 27 metrics into four groups: those that track cross-cutting aspects of energy use at the national level, as well as the three sectors primarily responsible for energy consumption in an economically developed country; buildings, industry, and transportation.

The top-scoring countries in each grouping were: Germany (national efforts); China (buildings); the United Kingdom (industry); and, jointly, Italy, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom (transportation).

"The UK and the leading economies of Europe are now well ahead of the United States when it comes to energy efficiency. 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,” said ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel.

“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."