Texas is 2021’s 9th least energy-efficient state
Reprinted with permission from WalletHub
Energy is expensive. In fact, it’s one of the biggest household expenses for American consumers. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average U.S. family spends at least $2,000 per year on utilities, with heating and cooling of spaces alone accounting for more than half the bill. In 2020, the average consumer spent another $1,568 on motor fuel and oil.
The Department of Energy estimates that adopting energy-efficient measures in the home could reduce a family’s utility costs by as much as 25 percent. It pays to conserve, especially during a time of increasingly warmer temperatures. As for transportation, the agency found that a more fuel-efficient vehicle could save the average driver about $788 per year.
In order to gauge the impact of doing more with less energy, WalletHub measured the efficiency of auto- and home-energy consumption in 48 U.S. states. Due to data limitations, Alaska and Hawaii were excluded from our analysis.
Most & Least Energy-Efficient States
| Overall Rank* | State | Total Score | Home Energy Efficiency | Auto Energy Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | 83.91 | 1 | 8 |
| 2 | New York | 82.05 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 79.72 | 9 | 1 |
| 4 | Minnesota | 77.42 | 2 | 26 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | 76.45 | 6 | 6 |
| 6 | Colorado | 75.68 | 4 | 15 |
| 7 | Vermont | 74.60 | 5 | 12 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 72.54 | 7 | 17 |
| 9 | California | 71.88 | 14 | 4 |
| 10 | Connecticut | 68.28 | 17 | 7 |
| 11 | Maine | 67.81 | 10 | 24 |
| 12 | Nevada | 66.98 | 15 | 14 |
| 13 | Illinois | 66.94 | 18 | 9 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | 64.67 | 12 | 29 |
| 15 | Michigan | 63.98 | 19 | 18 |
| 16 | New Jersey | 63.46 | 20 | 19 |
| 17 | Maryland | 60.73 | 28 | 10 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 60.21 | 23 | 21 |
| 19 | Oregon | 59.75 | 24 | 20 |
| 20 | Washington | 59.73 | 27 | 13 |
| 21 | Florida | 58.00 | 34 | 3 |
| 22 | South Dakota | 57.55 | 8 | 46 |
| 23 | Arizona | 57.03 | 30 | 16 |
| 24 | Iowa | 56.07 | 11 | 45 |
| 25 | Ohio | 55.58 | 29 | 23 |
| 26 | Idaho | 55.53 | 21 | 36 |
| 27 | Indiana | 53.17 | 32 | 22 |
| 28 | Kansas | 51.94 | 31 | 31 |
| 29 | Montana | 51.17 | 22 | 42 |
| 30 | New Mexico | 50.99 | 25 | 37 |
| 31 | Nebraska | 49.01 | 26 | 40 |
| 32 | Delaware | 48.29 | 33 | 33 |
| 33 | Virginia | 47.69 | 35 | 25 |
| 34 | North Dakota | 46.45 | 13 | 47 |
| 35 | North Carolina | 44.02 | 40 | 11 |
| 36 | Missouri | 42.05 | 38 | 30 |
| 37 | Georgia | 39.24 | 44 | 5 |
| 38 | Wyoming | 37.88 | 16 | 48 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | 36.68 | 37 | 38 |
| 40 | Texas | 36.36 | 36 | 44 |
| 41 | Kentucky | 34.58 | 41 | 34 |
| 42 | Arkansas | 32.31 | 42 | 35 |
| 43 | Mississippi | 31.63 | 39 | 41 |
| 44 | Louisiana | 31.22 | 45 | 27 |
| 45 | Tennessee | 30.43 | 46 | 28 |
| 46 | Alabama | 29.05 | 47 | 32 |
| 47 | West Virginia | 24.20 | 43 | 43 |
| 48 | South Carolina | 21.49 | 48 | 39 |
| N/A** | Alaska | |||
| N/A** | Hawaii |
Notes: *No. 1 = Most Energy-Efficient
**Due to data limitations, Alaska and Hawaii were excluded from our analysis.
With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.
