Is Your State the Most Energy Efficient?

It's been a good autumn for Massachusetts. Hot off of the hometown game that won the 2013 World Series, the Bay State's winning streak continues: Massachusetts is the most energy-efficient state in the U.S. for the third year running, according to the new State Energy Efficiency Scorecard from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). This follows Boston being named the most energy-efficient city in the U.S. by ACEEE this past September.

Californians may be wondering what happened: after topping the list for the first four years it was issued, the Golden State remains stuck in second place for the third year running. Rounding out the top five states are New York, Oregon, and Connecticut.

As for the title no state should want--that of the least energy-efficient in the nation--well, those honors belong to North Dakota, who placed dead last on the 2013 scorecard. Bringing up the rear, in order from 49th to 46th, were Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, and Mississippi. Although, Mississippians, take heart--your home state also ranked on the list of the top five most improved states, thanks to comprehensive energy legislation passed in 2012 that included provisions setting an energy code for commercial and state-owned buildings. Also among the most improved states were Maine, Kansas, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Idaho, you're not in the clear by escaping the bottom five: the Gem State was among 20 states who fell in the rankings this year, and the one that dropped the furthest, a total of nine spots, thanks to falling behind on a state-to-state comparison of utility efficiency spending and savings.

The ACEEE's annual scorecard assesses policies and programs focused on improving energy efficiency in homes, businesses, industries, and transportation systems. It considers utility and public benefits programs and policies; transportation policies; building energy codes and compliance; combined heat and power policies; appliance and equipment standards; and state government-led initiatives around energy efficiency.

Click here for the nationwide rankings and a breakdown of each state's energy efficiency efforts.