The most authoritative national ranking of state energy efficiency policies and programs released today shows Arizona leading the Southwest. Arizona placed 12th overall in the national rankings and 10th in the country on a key score for utility energy efficiency programs and policies.

The 2013 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) annually ranks states based on their commitment to energy efficiency in several areas, including utility policies and programs, buildings, industry, appliances, transportation, and state government initiatives.

“It is a great accomplishment for Arizona to be ranked among the top 10 states for utility energy efficiency programs and policies,” said Bob Stump, Chairman of the Arizona Corporation Commission. “Jobs in Arizona depend on businesses and consumers having affordable utility bills, and these programs and policies help ensure that.”

In this seventh Scorecard report, Arizona’s rise to 10th place for utility programs and policies was based largely upon electric and natural gas utility programs that help customers save energy and money. Examples include utility programs that offer home energy check-ups and rebates to help residents reduce household energy use, work with small businesses to install more efficient lighting and cooling systems, and provide technical assistance and rebates for energy-saving projects in large commercial and industrial facilities.

“Salt River Project has grown our suite of energy efficiency programs in recent years and the portfolio has performed well. During this past year alone, we have helped our customers save more than 630 million kilowatt hours of energy in their homes and businesses,” said Dan Dreiling, Manager of Product Development at SRP. “Our goal is to help our customers use energy wisely and provide a variety of cost-effective programs to meet their needs.”

Arizona has climbed the national rankings in recent years, rising to 12th overall in 2013, up from 29th place as recently as 2009.

Massachusetts leads the country in the ACEEE State Scorecard rankings for the third year in a row.  Following Massachusetts in the top 5 are California, New York, Oregon and Connecticut.