Louisiana ranks 43rd for energy efficiency

Louisiana is lagging when it comes to its energy efficiency, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s sixth annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, released today. On the scorecard, Louisiana is listed among the 10 states most in need of improvement when it comes to energy efficiency. Overall, Louisiana ranks No. 43 in the nation. “Aside from programs established in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that incorporate energy efficiency into rebuilding efforts, Louisiana has no energy efficiency programs for utility customers outside of New Orleans,” the scorecard says. “Entergy offers a portfolio of energy efficiency programs—including residential, small commercial, and industrial programs—for customers in the city of New Orleans.” The top 10 states leading the energy efficiency charge are, in order of ranking, Massachusetts, California, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland, and Minnesota. ACEEE’s annual scorecard benchmarks all 50 states and the District of Columbia according to “the policies and programs that encourage the efficient use of energy in many sectors of the economy.” It uses six primary policy areas: utility and “public benefits,” transportation, building energy codes, combined heat and power policies, state government-led initiatives around energy efficiency, and appliance and equipment standards. You can check out the full scorecard here.