The 2008 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard

Maggie Eldridge, Max Neubauer, Dan York, Shruti Vaidyanathan, Anna Chittum, and Steven Nadel

October 2008

Executive Summary

Introduction

Energy efficiency is the “first fuel” in the race for clean and secure energy resources. Faced with rapidly increasing energy prices, constraints in energy supply and transmission, and energy reliability concerns, states are turning to energy efficiency as the most reliable, cost-effective, and quickest resource to deploy. States are now investing two to three times as much as the federal government toward energy efficiency programs and resource. In the race for clean energy resources, states are adopting aggressive energy efficiency policies, increasing investments in efficiency programs, and improving efficiency in their own facilities and fleets. While some states have been making commitments toward energy efficiency for decades, others are just getting started, and still others fall far behind. We present here a comprehensive state energy efficiency scorecard to document best practices and recognize leadership among the states. The scorecard can serve as a means of benchmarking state efforts, with the goal of encouraging states to continue to raise the bar in efficiency commitments and providing a roadmap for states that want to catch up to the leaders.

In 2007, ACEEE released The State Energy Efficiency Scorecard for 2006, which was the first of its kind to provide a comprehensive approach to scoring and ranking states on the adoption and implementation of energy efficiency policies and programs. This is a 2008 update to the scorecard, ranking all fifty states and the District of Columbia on energy efficiency policies and programs. The scorecard examines eight state energy efficiency policy areas: (1) utility-sector and public benefits programs and policies; (2) transportation polices; (3) building energy codes; (4) combined heat and power; (5) appliance efficiency standards; (6) Lead by Example in state facilities and fleets; (7) research, development, and deployment; and (8) financial and information incentives. States can earn up to 50 possible points in these eight policy areas combined, with the maximum possible points in each area weighted by the magnitude of its potential impact on energy savings.

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54pp., 2008, $30.00, E086

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