Canada scores 2nd last on energy efficiency study

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Canada scores 2nd last on energy efficiency study


Canada has landed near the bottom of the first international energy efficiency rating of 12 major economies.

The non-profit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) placed Canada at No. 11 out of 12 countries in its energy efficient score card.

The countries – which included the U.S., Brazil, China, Germany and the United Kingdom – accounted for 63 per cent of global energy consumption as well as 62 per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.

In measuring each country according to 27 criteria, the ACEEE examined energy use nation-wide as well as energy consumption in industry, buildings and transportation.

This is how the 12 countries stacked up in the scorecard:

  1. United Kingdom
  2. Germany
  3. Italy
  4. Japan
  5. France
  6. European Union, Australia and China (three-way tie)
  7. U.S.
  8. Brazil
  9. Canada
  10. Russia
Steven Nadel, executive director of the ACEEE, lauded the UK and the EU for being “well ahead” of North America for its energy efficiency but cautioned that none of the countries “received a perfect score in any category --- proving there is much that all countries can still learn from each other.”

In the major categories, the U.K. landed on top for national energy use and industry while China achieved No. 1 status in buildings. As for transportation, Germany, Italy, China and the U.K. were tied.
Among the many elements that were analyzed were whether the country had fuel economy standards for vehicles and energy efficiency standards for appliances. Other factors included the energy consumed by each country relative to its gross domestic product and the energy consumed per square foot of floor space in residential buildings.

The report’s author, Sara Hayes, noted that cost-effective energy efficiency is still a “massively underutilized energy resource” in industrialized nations and urged the countries to keep trying for better energy efficiency.

Canada scores 2nd last on energy efficiency study - Technology & Science - CBC News
 

TenPenny

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I'm absolutely stunned.

How on earth could the coldest climate countries (Russia, Canada) end up on the bottom of that list?

I just don't understand it.
 

L Gilbert

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Lemme see, out of the countries mentioned, the bottom 6 ones are huge countries (think vast expanses), in temperate climates (think cold temps), etc. The top countries are small and not particularly cold. I wonder how much energy and money went into this study that points out the blatantly obvious.
 

JLM

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Lemme see, out of the countries mentioned, the bottom 6 ones are huge countries (think vast expanses), in temperate climates (think cold temps), etc. The top countries are small and not particularly cold. I wonder how much energy and money went into this study that points out the blatantly obvious.

Yeah, there's a bit of bullsh*t involved, for sure! :lol:
 

JLM

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I'm absolutely stunned.

How on earth could the coldest climate countries (Russia, Canada) end up on the bottom of that list?

I just don't understand it.

Maybe because they consume more power for home heating and heating water! Not really rocket science! :lol::lol:
 

Cabbagesandking

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The knee jerk defensive responses jump out! Could it not be that we are not very efficient and neither is the USA. Russia is notoriously not and will not be until all iuts Communist era infrastructure is replaced.

I did not read the piece above because I have read it elsewhere recently. So, id don't know whether it is there but the ranking was adjusted for things such as climate and transportation i Both those are a crock anyway. Canada is no more a cold climate than several of the others. The heating season in the UK and Germany is probably as long or longer - just not as hot or as cold. But still requiring heating.

Transportation has been well analysed in the past and Canada does not fare well. The great majority of transport in Canada is not long distance. Certainly not that for personal use. It is confined to a few urban centres. I remember ding some research on this a few years ago and finding that Canada and Spain were about equal in the effects of transportation.

Canadians are the most wasteful people on Earth, closely followed by the US in water use and that involves energy consumption and efficiency.

Look at what we are not doing before jumping on the messenger.
 

CDNBear

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So, id don't know whether it is there but the ranking was adjusted for things such as climate and transportation...
If it was adjusted like you adjust, it's guaranteed to be flawed.

Both those are a crock anyway.
Obviously because you say so... :roll:

Canada is no more a cold climate than several of the others. The heating season in the UK and Germany is probably as long or longer - just not as hot or as cold. But still requiring heating.
Ya, there's nothing like contradicting yourself is there, lol.

Transportation has been well analysed in the past and Canada does not fare well. The great majority of transport in Canada is not long distance. Certainly not that for personal use.
Well, with that caveat, how can you be wrong.

I remember ding some research on this a few years ago and finding that Canada and Spain were about equal in the effects of transportation.
Maybe you should post your results. Otherwise, it's just more hot air.

Look at what we are not doing before jumping on the messenger.
Oh that's rich!
 

L Gilbert

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The knee jerk defensive responses jump out! Could it not be that we are not very efficient and neither is the USA. Russia is notoriously not and will not be until all iuts Communist era infrastructure is replaced.

I did not read the piece above because I have read it elsewhere recently. So, id don't know whether it is there but the ranking was adjusted for things such as climate and transportation i Both those are a crock anyway. Canada is no more a cold climate than several of the others. The heating season in the UK and Germany is probably as long or longer - just not as hot or as cold. But still requiring heating.

Transportation has been well analysed in the past and Canada does not fare well. The great majority of transport in Canada is not long distance. Certainly not that for personal use. It is confined to a few urban centres. I remember ding some research on this a few years ago and finding that Canada and Spain were about equal in the effects of transportation.

Canadians are the most wasteful people on Earth, closely followed by the US in water use and that involves energy consumption and efficiency.

Look at what we are not doing before jumping on the messenger.
Evidence?

You read this report elsewhere? Funny, the group sponsoring the research didn't publish anything till July 12. And I tried joining the group just to download the report but got a server error message.
 
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Cabbagesandking

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Evidence?

You read this report elsewhere? Funny, the group sponsoring the research didn't publish anything till July 12. And I tried joining the group just to download the report but got a server error message.
Indeed! I read it a few days ago either in a newspaper or magazine. And it says what I said or the commentary did.

What is interesting is that it does not include some of the most energy efficient countries of Northern Europe against whom we could make no excuses of climate.

This is one where it appeared a few days ago. It is not where I read it, though.

ACEEE: United Kingdom Tops In Energy Efficiency, U.S. Lags In 9th Place - MarketWatch
 

L Gilbert

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Indeed! I read it a few days ago either in a newspaper or magazine. And it says what I said or the commentary did.

What is interesting is that it does not include some of the most energy efficient countries of Northern Europe against whom we could make no excuses of climate.

This is one where it appeared a few days ago. It is not where I read it, though.

ACEEE: United Kingdom Tops In Energy Efficiency, U.S. Lags In 9th Place - MarketWatch
Funny though, right in the executive summary, the report (not news reports on the report) says "performance metrics include the amount of energy consumed by a country relative tot its GDP". Kind of says that the GDP of a country largely determines its score.
I didn't read anything in it about the results being adjusted for area or climate. And it did say that it omitted most countries in the EU.
 

CDNBear

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Funny though, right in the executive summary, the report (not news reports on the report) says "performance metrics include the amount of energy consumed by a country relative tot its GDP". I didn't read anything in it about the results being adjusted for area or climate. And it did say that it omitted most countries in the EU.
Say it isn't so.