The U.S. ranks 13 out of 16 countries in energy efficiency, Germany is #1

[Scuba]

2. Well, we can either go with the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) ...

... or you.


http://www.aceee.org/about

Overview / Mission
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, acts as a catalyst to advance energy efficiency policies, programs, technologies, investments, and behaviors. We believe that the United States can harness the full potential of energy efficiency to achieve greater economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental protection for all its people.

ACEEE carries out its mission by:
Conducting in-depth technical and policy analyses
Advising policymakers and program managers
Working collaboratively with businesses, government officials, public interest groups, and other organizations
Convening conferences and workshops, primarily for energy efficiency professionals
Assisting and encouraging traditional and new media to cover energy efficiency policy and technology issues
Educating consumers and businesses through our reports, books, conference proceedings, press activities, and websites

ACEEE was founded in 1980 by leading researchers in the energy field. Since then we have grown to a staff of about 50. Projects are carried out by ACEEE staff and collaborators from government, the private sector, research institutions, and other nonprofit organizations.

ACEEE focuses on these program areas:
Energy policy (federal, state, and local)
Research (including programs on buildings and equipment,utilities, industry,agriculture,transportation,behavior, economic analysis, and international)
Outreach (including conferences, publications, and the Ally Program)

Since 1980, ACEEE has accomplished a great deal and has become known as America’s leading center of expertise on energy efficiency. Our reputation is based on the high quality, credibility, and relevance of our work, as well as our bipartisan approach. ACEEE’s thorough and peer-reviewed technical work is widely relied on by policymakers, business and industry decision-makers, consumers, media, and other energy professionals.

While I couldn't find their precise metrics on their peer-reviewed work, they do provide this ...

http://aceee.org/press/2014/07/germany-italy-eu-china-and-france-to

The ACEEE ranking system looks at both “policy metrics” and “performance metrics” to measure a country’s overall energy efficiency. Examples of “policy metrics” include the presence of a national energy savings target, fuel economy standards for vehicles, and energy efficiency standards for appliances. The “performance metrics” measure energy use and provide quantifiable results. Examples of “performance metrics” include average miles per gallon of on-road passenger vehicles and energy consumed per square foot of floor space in residential buildings.