Study: Huge Electric Productivity Gap, Efficiency Alone Could Save States Money

Simply using energy more efficiently could narrow some state budget gaps, according to a new Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) report.

Efficiency alone could cut 30 percent of U.S. electric use and avoid the need for 60 percent of coal-fired power production. “Electric productivity” is measured as dollars of gross domestic product per kilowatt hours consumed. The report finds that the landscape could change a lot simply by changing the source of electricity, and how we mange existing infrastructures.

RMI's Energy and Resources Team details the opportunities for savings by state with a new, interactive web tool. This map ranks how effectively each state uses electricity in relation to its economy.