Wisconsin’s ranking in energy efficiency fell to 29th from 24th in 2017 as compared with neighboring states Minnesota 8th, Michigan 11th, Illinois 12th and Iowa 24th. Wisconsin tied for 29th with Kentucky, Nevada and Ohio. The rankings are from the ACEEE State Energy Efficiency Scorecard that analyses: utility and public benefits programs and policies; transportation policies; building energy codes and compliance; combined heat and power (CHP) policies, state government initiatives around energy efficiency; and, appliance and equipment standards. The report highlights opportunities and policy tools available to governors, state legislators, and regulators as well.
According to ACEEE, “energy efficiency is a growing resource, with utilities spending more than $7.9 billion in 2017 for efficiency programs nationwide and saving 27.3 million mega-watt hours (MWh) of electricity. Energy efficiency employs 2.25 million Americans”.