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Here's How Energy Efficient Michigan Is

Michigan has been ranked the 11th most energy efficient state in America, according to a new report by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. The advocacy group, based in Washington, D.C., released its 12th annual scorecard Thursday, finding that while some states worked to retain their energy efficiency standards, lawmakers in other states actively worked against them, following in the footsteps of the federal government.

Michigan increased slightly from 2016 to 2017, according to the report, and now narrowly misses the top 10.

Here's our scorecard:

  • Utility and public benefits programs and policies: 13.5/20 points
  • Transportation policies: 4/10 points
  • Building energy efficiency policies: 5.5/8 points
  • Combined heat and power: 1.5/4 points
  • State government initiatives: 4/5 points
  • Appliance efficiency standards: 0/3 points
  • Total score: 28.5/50 points

The ACEEE said states are investing more money in efficiency and clean energy — likely driven over concern about climate change — even as the Trump administration loosens environmental rules. States spent just under $8 billion on energy efficiency in the utility sector last year, up from $7.6 billion in 2016, and saved nearly 27.3 million megawatt-hours. That's a 7.3 percent increase in electricity savings and could power about 2.5 million homes for a year.

The state scorecards are based on more than 30 policy areas and metrics. Utility and public benefits programs and policies accounted for 40 percent of the overall score. A public benefits fund provides long-term funding for energy efficiency initiatives, typically via a small surcharge on electricity consumption collected on customers' bills.

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