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It's probably safe to say.....
that there is one major reason why the per capita energy consumption of the U.S. is double of any Western European County....the suburbs. This is a wicked combination of:
1) detached single family housing. This type of construction increases exposed heating surfaces by at least 30% over typical multi-family housing in cities (row houses, townhouses and larger multi-unit housing). Heating and cooling energy needs go up accordingly. To further bring home the impact of this choice, we generally find that the peak per square foot heating needs of typical pre WWII multifamily housing is about the same as most modern detached family homes.
2) lack of public transportation and huge energy needs for commutes. The combination of using autos in stop and go traffic for long commutes is a massive inefficiency.
3) No community planning. Construction is almost completely unplanned so regular needs for food, clothing and other necessities require considerable auto use. This, of course, also means there are no provisions for pedestrian traffic. The big box stores rely on the massive public subsidies of road building to make thier profits.... higher taxes for everyone. In many city neighborhoods, there is still local shopping.
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