Connecticut Green Living

Today, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP) released its lists of most energy-efficient states in the country, drawing a link to heightened appliance standards. ASAP was founded in 1999 by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the Alliance to Save Energy, the Energy Foundation, and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The founders had been involved in appliance standards work for years, but recognized that a more encompassing, more organized advocacy effort would better effect change and improve standards. The average American family saved almost $500 on utility bills in 2015 as a result of existing efficiency standards for appliances and lighting, according to a white paper published today by ASAP with the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). The report details average household savings for all 50 states and DC in four categories: household utility bill savings; electricity savings; natural gas and oil savings; and wate...

October is National Energy Awareness Month, and according to WalletHub, the average household spends nearly $2,000 a year on energy bills. In honor of this important month, the personal-finance website conducted what they say was "an in-depth analysis" of 2016’s most and least energy-efficient states. The top 10 most efficient states are, in order: New York, Utah, Minnesota, Vermont, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Colorado, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. The least efficient are, in order: West Virginia (#39), Kentucky, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, and South Carolina (#48). We Nutmeggers can be proud that we ranked number 9 on the list, right behind Colorado but ahead of the Live Free or Die State. Yet, 9 isn't 1, so this reporter wanted to speak to someone at WalletHub who could explain how we could become first. Note, due to what WalletHub said were data limitations, Alaska and Hawaii were excluded from analysis....