March 9, 2009—The US Environmental Protection Agency has released a list of US metropolitan areas with the largest number of energy-efficient buildings that have earned EPA’s voluntary Energy Star designation in 2008.
The 2008 Top 25 Cities, including the number of Energy Star-qualifying buildings in 2008, are: 1/ Los Angeles, CA (262); 2/ San Francisco, CA (194); 3/ Houston, TX (145); 4/ Washington, DC (136); 5/ Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (126); 6/ Chicago, IL (125); 7/ Denver, CO (109); 8/ Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN (102); 9/ Atlanta, GA (97); 10/ Seattle, WA (83); 11/ Boston, MA (79); 12/ New York, NY (78); 13/ Austin, TX (77); 14/ Detroit, MI (65); 15/ Milwaukee, WI (62); 16/ San Antonio, TX (56); 17/ Philadelphia, PA (50); 18/ Charlotte, NC (45); 18/ Portland, OR (45); 20/ Grand Rapids, MI (42); 21/ Sacramento, CA (41); 22/ Phoenix, AZ (39); 23/ Miami, FL (38); 24/ Riverside, CA (34); and 25/ Madison, WI (33).
According to EPA, Energy Star buildings typically use 35 percent less energy and emit 35 percent less greenhouse gases than average buildings. In 2008, more than 3,300 commercial buildings and manufacturing plants earned the Energy Star label for high efficiency, representing savings of more than $1 billion in utility bills and more than 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
The total number of Energy Star-qualifying buildings in America, including schools, hospitals, office buildings, courthouses, grocery stores, retail centers, and auto assembly plants, is now more than 6,200.
