Most and Least Energy Efficient States: Where Does Your State Rank? 

The average cost of electricity in 2022 will be 8% higher than it was in 2021, according to estimates by the U.S. Energy Information Association (EIA).¹ On top of that, the EIA expected the annual demand for energy to increase by 2.7% in the U.S. this year, thanks in part to a hotter-than-usual summer.²

Consumers are feeling the pinch as the cost of energy skyrockets and demand remains strong, so it comes as no surprise that more consumers and local governments are wondering how they can conserve energy to keep heating and cooling costs low and mitigate the effects of climate change. 

Of course, individuals can take steps to increase the energy efficiency of their homes by upgrading appliances, lights and other home systems (like HVACs) to energy-efficient models. However, the weight remains on state governments to implement crucial energy-centric policies like renewable energy generation targets, public benefits programs, cleaner transportation plans and more. 

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a nonprofit research organization, has measured and ranked energy efficiency in each state based on 32 unique metrics.

How does your state stack up? Below, you can see how each state excels and where there’s room to improve.

Energy Efficiency Rankings by State

The ACEEE has researched the unique policies, initiatives and advancements in energy efficiency for each state to determine a nationwide ranking system. 

Key Takeaways

• California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Colorado, Virginia and Nevada earned the highest energy efficiency scores in their respective regions.
• Kansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming scored the lowest, each earning 7 or fewer points out of the possible 50.  
• No state earned a perfect 50-point score, indicating that there is room for improvement in every state. 
• The global COVID-19 pandemic stalled some progress for energy efficiency in the U.S. in 2020 but did not halt efforts entirely. 

About the Scoring 

The ACEEE holistically ranks states on their energy efficiency efforts and tracks new policies and initiatives that aim to minimize energy use in each state. 

The ACEEE analysis of each state is broken down into five categories. Each state is assigned a rating for each category, with a cumulative maximum score of 50. The five categories are as follows: 

Visit the ACEEE website to view the full report and read an in-depth explanation of each state’s energy-efficient initiatives and advancements.