Energy Efficiency State-by-State

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Entergy
bigstock Electric Powerlines Over Sunri 1855010

On average, American families spent around $2,000 a year on utility bills. And they spend roughly another $2,000 on fuel for the car. This year it is very likely that the utility bills will be much higher as a result of all the lockdowns. Electricity bills increased year-over-year in 23 states. Between the increase in remote working and the number of children nationally who will be learning from home, it is little wonder electric bills are rising. During the summer, more people not only stayed home but remained indoors more than ever before. The same scenario is likely to stretch through the coming winter, with gas bills rising as the temperatures drop. 

It may help utility bills that gas priced dramatically decreased with the decrease in demand also caused by the pandemic. That area seems to be getting back on the road to something near normal. This fall and winter will be the deciding factor on whether everything else ever sees normal ever again. 

Energy Efficiency at Home and in the Car

A company called WalletHub took a look at 48 of the states and came up with a list showing the most energy-efficient states down to the least energy-efficient states. Hawaii and Alaska were not included in the study. One reason may be that Hawaii residents pay the highest electricity bills of all 50 states.

They looked at each state in two areas:

  • Home Energy Efficiency
  • Auto Energy Efficiency

Home energy efficiency was determined by calculating the ratio of total residential energy consumption to annual degree days. And Auto energy efficiency was determined by dividing the annual vehicle miles driven by the gallons of gasoline consumed.

Each dimension was weighted proportionally to reflect national consumption patterns and graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing optimal energy efficiency.

Where does your state rank?

Overall Rank* StateTotal Score ‘Home Energy Efficiency’ Rank ‘Auto Energy Efficiency’ Rank 
48South Carolina20.684839
47West Virginia27.234342
46Tennessee29.524627
45Louisiana29.974724
44Alabama30.184432
43Mississippi33.313941
42Arkansas33.714236
41Kentucky34.614135
40Georgia35.834512
39Oklahoma36.683740
38Wyoming37.481848
37Texas37.683544
36Missouri40.483833
35North Carolina44.27409
34Virginia45.383429
33North Dakota47.361247
32Delaware47.453330
31Nebraska49.882438
30Florida50.16366
29Montana50.222343
28Indiana50.283226
27Ohio53.462823
26Arizona53.583118
25Kansas54.002920
24New Mexico54.771937
23Idaho55.432234
22South Dakota55.58846
21Washington56.313013
20Pennsylvania57.172517
19Iowa57.581045
18Maryland58.162710
17New Hampshire61.281431
16New Jersey61.452019
15Michigan62.121722
14Connecticut64.33218
13Maine64.651125
12Illinois65.071614
11Nevada65.141515
10Wisconsin69.80521
9California69.90135
8Oregon71.73261
7Colorado72.88416
6Vermont73.4867
5Rhode Island73.6794
4Minnesota74.25228
3Massachusetts77.7272
2New York80.8033
1Utah81.50111
Source: WalletHub