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Rhode Island Named 3rd Most Energy Efficient State: WalletHub

One of the best ways to save money is becoming more energy efficient, and Rhode Islanders are among the best in the U.S. at doing so.

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RHODE ISLAND — October is national energy awareness month, and with rising energy costs amid inflation and the Russian war in Ukraine, families are looking for ways to save money on rising electric and heat costs.

One of the best ways to save money is finding ways to be more energy efficient, and Rhode Islanders are among the best in the U.S. when it comes to doing so, according to a recent WalletHub study. Rhode Island ranked third on the list of most energy efficient states.

To determine the rankings, WalletHub weighed home and vehicle efficiency, with 50 points possible in each category. The total score was then calculated for each state, out of 100 total points.

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Rhode Island earned a total score of 82.1, ranked fifth for auto efficiency and seventh for home efficiency. Neighboring Massachusetts also made the top five, ranking No. 1. Here's a look at the top five.

  1. Massachusetts
  2. New York
  3. Rhode Island
  4. Utah
  5. Vermont

At the other end of the spectrum, South Carolina was ranked the least-energy efficient state, with just 22.99 points. Neither Hawaii nor Alaska were included in the ranking due to a lack of data.

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Heather Payne, an associate professor in environmental and energy law at Seton Hall University, said the best return on investment will come from making small changes like replacing incandescent and CFL light bulbs with LED bulbs.

"Other energy efficiency improvements, like replacing single-pane windows or adding exterior wall insulation, are both more expensive and much more disruptive/harder to do," Payne said. "The good news is that some utilities or municipalities offer low- or no-cost home energy assessments, which can give homeowners a good idea of the potential range of energy efficiency improvements they could make, although those services do not typically price out the improvements or the potential ROI."

Read the full study and see the full ranking on WalletHub.

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