Highlights
  • California energy productivity has outperformed the rest of the U.S. both in absolute terms and in proportional gains. In absolute terms, California generated $4.34 of GDP in 2020 (inflation-adjusted in 2020 U.S. dollars) for every 10,000 British Thermal Units (BTU) of energy consumed, up from $3.96 of GDP in 2019. Meanwhile, the rest of the nation generated $2.08 of economic output for the same amount of energy consumed in 2020, a slight increase from $2.00 of economic output in 2019. California’s energy productivity was twice that of the rest of the U.S. in 2020, for the third consecutive year.
  • In relative terms, California has continuously outperformed the rest of the nation in terms of energy efficiency gains as a share of GDP produced—averaging a 3.8 percent compounded average growth rate (CAGR) between 2010 and 2020, nearly double the 1.9 percent CAGR recorded for the rest of the U.S. From 2010 to 2020, energy productivity in California and the U.S. kept increasing—2.2 percent higher and 1.7 percent higher than in 2010, respectively, with no sign of slowing down. At the current trajectory, the state is on track to reach the productivity levels required for the 2030 and 2050 emissions goals.