Louisiana is among the worst states in the nation for efforts to “advance energy efficiency in service of decarbonization,” according to a recent report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
The ACEEE’s energy efficiency scorecard ranks states on “policy and program efforts to save energy, advance equity, and pursue efficiency as a cost-effective, critical tool for reducing emissions and meeting state clean energy goals.”
The 15th edition of the report compares states based on six policy areas: utility and public benefits, transportation, building energy efficiency, state government-led initiatives, industrial energy efficiency, and appliance and equipment standards.
The Center Square reports that Louisiana tied with Mississippi and South Dakota at 46th overall with a score of 3.5 out of 50, dropping one spot since last year. The state received its highest mark for state government initiatives with a score of 2.5 out of 4.5, and received zeros for utility and public benefits, building energy efficiency policies, industrial policies, and appliance efficiency standards.
ACEEE gave Louisiana a 1 out of 13 for transportation policies.
The report also examined incremental savings from electric efficiency programs in 2021, with Louisiana saving 104,169 megawatt hours, or 0.11% of 2021 retail sales. The median incremental savings in the U.S. for 2021 was 0.62% of retail sales, or 200,324 megawatt hours.
