Canada ranked behind Brazil, China and U.S. in energy efficiency

Canada lags behind 10 other countries in energy efficiency, according to a new international scorecard published by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, or (ACEEE). The non-profit council ranked 12 of the world’s largest economies using an approach it has applied in the past to rank U.S. states.

Measured on a scale of 100 possible points in 27 categories, the United Kingdom came in first as most energy efficient, followed by Germany, Italy, Japan, France, the European Union/Australia/China (3-way tie), the U.S. and Brazil. Canada was 11th and Russia 12th.

The 12 countries represent 78% of global gross domestic product, 63% of global energy consumed, and 62 per cent of global carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.

The ACEEE ranking system looks at both “policy metrics” and “performance metrics” to measure a country’s overall energy efficiency. Examples of policy metrics include the presence of a national energy savings target, fuel economy standards for vehicles, and energy efficiency standards for appliances.

The “performance metrics” measured energy use and quantifiable results. Examples of performance metrics include the amount of energy consumed by a country relative to its gross domestic product, average miles per gallon of on-road passenger vehicles, and energy consumed per square foot of floor space in residential buildings. (The announcement and summary did not make it clear whether climate was taken into account for the energy consumption per square foot of buildings.)

ACEEE divided the 27 metrics across four groups. The top-scoring countries in each grouping are: Germany (national efforts); China (buildings); the United Kingdom (industry); and a tie among Italy, China, Germany, and the United Kingdom (transportation).

To access the free report, click here.

http://aceee.org/research-report/e12a