Energy Efficient Connecticut - We're #10

Connecticut is the nation’s 10th most energy efficient state, according to a new analysis. The state ranked 16th in Home Energy Efficiency, 15th in Vehicle-Fuel Efficiency and 8th in Transportation Efficiency.

The top 10 states were New York, Rhode Island, Utah, Massachusetts, Vermont, California, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Connecticut.  At the bottom of the ranking were Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina.

Measuring the efficiency of auto- and home-energy consumption, the financial website WalletHub compared 48 states across two key dimensions, “Home Energy Efficiency” and “Auto Energy Efficiency.” The analysis was done by calculating the ratio of total residential energy consumption to annual degree days for home energy efficiency, and dividing the annual vehicle miles driven by gallons of gasoline consumed to determine vehicle-fuel efficiency and measuring annual vehicle miles driven per capita to determine transportation efficiency.  Each dimension was weighted proportionally to reflect national consumption patterns and graded on a 100-point scale.

The Department of Energy estimates that adopting energy-efficient measures in the home could reduce a family’s utility costs by as much as 25 percent, WalletHub pointed out. As for transportation, the agency found that a more fuel-efficient vehicle could save the average driver about $638 per year.

Data used to create the ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, National Climatic Data Center, Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.