Which Nation is the most Energy-Efficient of them all?

Which major nation has the most energy-efficient economy? Is the United States ahead of or behind other nations -- including China, Germany, and Japan—when it comes to energy efficiency?

For the first time ever, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) will release the 2012 International Energy Efficiency Scorecard report measuring the energy efficiency of 12 of the world’s largest economies. The new ACEEE scorecard will be released during a live National Press Club news conference in July.

The economies of Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the U.K., the U.S., and the European Union account for over three-quarters of global gross domestic product. The nations will be compared in 27 different categories for energy efficiency. ACEEE also publishes a widely followed annual scorecard that ranks U.S. states on energy efficiency.