New York State residents and businesses ranked highest as the most energy efficient users in the US. Hawaii and California were second and third respectively; Alaska ranked last among all states and DC in the study by America Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE; http://aceee.org). The study, National and State Energy Use and Carbon Emissions Trends, reported that total US energy intensity fell 42 percent between 1970 and 1999. Carbon emissions intensity fell 47 percent. These large reductions lowered energy bills for consumers and businesses, cut pollutant emissions, and reduced dependence on oil imports, according to the study. It also stated that the top states have done more to reduce energy bills and cut pollutant emissions including emissions causing global warming than low-ranking states.
“The top states cut their energy use per capita about 10-20 percent during 1970-97, while the worst states saw their energy use per capita rise 39-90 percent during this period,” said Toru Kubo, ACEEE Research Assistant and report co-author.
For copies of National and State Energy Use and Carbon Emissions Trends, contact ACEEE publication office at (202) 429-0063; email, ace3pubs@ix.netcom.com. The Executive Summary is available at http://aceee.org/pubs.
