U.S. gets low energy-efficiency marks

WASHINGTON, July 18 (UPI) -- The United States ranked 13th, ten spots behind the entire European Union, in terms of energy efficiency, a Washington policy center reported.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy ranked the United States 13th out of 16 major economies it reviewed on energy efficiency indices. The European Union as a whole ranked No. 3, with Germany taking the top spot.

"The United States, long considered an innovative and competitive world leader, has allowed other nations to surpass it," the report said.

The 16 economies rated by ACEEE make up 81 percent of the global gross domestic product and more than 70 percent of the global electricity consumption. Countries were ranked on 31 different metrics.

Out of 100 possible points, Germany led with 65 points based in part on efficiency in its industrial sector. It was a three-way tie between France, Italy and the European Union as a whole for the lead in terms of overall efforts to improve energy efficiency

For 13th-ranked United States, ACEEE said Thursday there has been some progress in terms of voluntary actions by the industrial sector and fuel economy stands, but the general outlook was disappointing.

The report noted that all the countries it reviewed had serious weaknesses to overcome.