Out of the 16 largest economies in the world, the United States languishes in 13th place for energy efficiency.

This is according to a new study conducted by the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). ACEEE assessed the world's 16 leading economies, accounting for roughly 81 percent of the planet's gross domestic product and 71 percent of its energy use, in 31 different areas surrounding political and procedural approaches to matters like fuel economy standards. Among Australia, Brazil, Canada and the 13 other nations, even India and China, two of the world's most prolific polluters, ranked higher than the U.S. at 11th and 4th place respectively. 

"There's really no excuse for the United States lagging behind other nations on energy efficiency," Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., told USA Today. "There's bipartisan common ground on this issue in Congress." 

The scoring system evaluated each nation's efficiency based on four categories: buildings, industry, transportation and national effort. One hundred points was the highest possible score. America scored less than 50 points, beating out only Mexico and Brazil.

While the report may generate surprise and even frustration from public officials like Rep. Welch, Congress has not passed a major energy bill since 2007. Furthermore, a bipartisan bill to boost energy efficiency collapsed in the Senate earlier this year. Consequently, with energy-efficient building codes now mandatory in Germany, and only Italy and the United Kingdom having managed to reach the 38.4 miles-per-gallon milestone for passenger vehicles, what progress the U.S. has made in energy efficiency failed to make a significant impact in the survey. 

Nevertheless, the effort to conserve energy and embrace new approaches to renewable power continues.  If you live in the Maryland area and want to learn more about home energy efficiency or have an energy audit evaluate your household's power consumption needs, schedule an appointment with Alban Inspections!