The UK has been ranked the fifth most energy efficient country in the world.

A report by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) ranked a total of 23 countries, which together represent 75% of all the energy consumption globally.

It analysed the energy efficiency in different sectors including building, industry and transportation as well as national efforts to control energy usage.

According to the report, the UK was ranked in fifth place due to changes in policies such as the abolishment of the Green Deal, a 33% cut to the country’s Energy Efficiency Obligations target and a 20% cut to future spending.

However, it added while the nation has strong policies to improve fuel economy and advance vehicle technologies, much more can be done to improve the overall efficiency of the freight and passenger transport systems.

Germany has been ranked the highest in the scoreboard followed by Italy and Japan.

Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Sout Africa are at the bottom of the list.

Steven Nadel, Executive Director at ACEEE said: “Energy efficiency is often the lowest cost means of meeting new demand for energy. Governments that encourage investment in energy efficiency and implement supporting policies save citizens money, reduce dependence on energy imports and reduce pollution. Yet energy efficiency remains massively underutilised globally despite its proven multiple benefits and its potential to become the single largest resource to meet growing energy demand worldwide.”

According to the Public Accounts Committee, public money was put at risk by the government’s failure to implement the Green Deal scheme.