France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands all ranked as the world's most energy-efficient countries, according to a report card from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
The U.S. ranked 10th.
The report card, ACEEE's first since 2018 and fifth overall, graded the 25 largest energy-consuming countries based on 36 efficiency metrics. The average score of 48.5 out of 100 was down slightly since the last report. France, which ranked first, scored a 74.5.
Energy efficiency measures have never been more important with Russia's invasion of Ukraine causing a global energy crisis amid the pre-existing threats posed by climate change, according to ACEEE's executive director Steve Nadel.
Nadel described energy efficiency as the "least expensive way" to meet global energy demands.
The U.S.'s score of 54 out of 100 points dropped slightly since the last report due to the Trump administration's rollback of light-duty fuel economy standards, low public transit ridership, and limited investments in rail.
The building sector showed positive signs for energy efficiency, however. Mandatory appliance and equipment standards cover 50 product categories and many states have some of the world's strongest building codes, the authors wrote.
The report suggested that the U.S. could further improve building sector energy efficiency by reducing energy use intensity in residential buildings and implementing mandatory building labeling policies.
The U.S. scored lowest in the transportation category, in part due to 8,182 miles traveled in personal vehicles per capita annually, the most of any country assessed by the scorecard.
Electric vehicles, while growing rapidly in popularity, still only account for 2% of all new vehicle sales in the U.S.
