SMART Community Review (SCR) May/June 2014 TransAtlantic Eco Commerce | Page 9

“The inefficiency in the U.S. economy means a tremendous waste of energy resources and money," the report says. "These scores suggest [other] countries may have an economic advantage over the United States because using less energy to produce and transport the same economic output costs them less. Their efforts to improve efficiency likely make their economies more nimble and resilient.” The U.S. does best in the buildings category, where it finishes eighth. It does worst for transportation, which it's 15th. "The United States has made some progress toward greater energy efficiency in recent years, particularly in areas such as building codes, appliance standards, voluntary partnerships between government and industry, and, recently, fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks," the report adds. But, overall, its "story is disappointing" and has improved little since the last ACEEE International Scorecard in 2012