States That Are Lights Out on Energy Efficiency

Noticed your utility bills rising recently? Vermonters are doing their best to avoid that, according to WalletHub, which deems the Green Mountain State as America's most energy-efficient. The site looked at states throughout the nation across two key dimensions: home energy efficiency, which it calculated by figuring out the ratio of total residential energy use to annual degree days (days in which heating and cooling demands spike); and auto energy efficiency, arrived at by looking at miles driven next to gallons of fuel consumed and other gauges. Coming in last place on WalletHub's list is South Carolina. One note: Alaska and Hawaii weren't included in the rankings, due to limited data. The top and bottom 10:

Most energy-efficient

1. Vermont
2. California
3. Washington
4. New York
5. Massachusetts (No. 1 in "Auto Energy Efficiency" category)
6. Colorado
7. Utah
8. Oregon
9. Minnesota
10. Nevada

Least energy-efficient

39. Missouri
40. Kentucky
41. Georgia
42. Wyoming (last in "Auto Energy Efficiency" category)
43. Tennessee
44. Arkansas
45. Mississippi
46. Alabama
47. West Virginia
48. South Carolina (last in "Home Energy Efficiency" category)

See how other states fared here.