The US Environmental Protection Agency released its sixth annual list of the 25 US metropolitan areas with the most Energy Star certified buildings. Leading the 2013 list are Los Angeles; Washington, DC; Atlanta; New York; San Francisco; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Philadelphia; and Houston.
In addition to listing the top cities with the most Energy Star buildings, this year’s data revealed that more than 23,000 buildings across America earned Energy Star certification by the end of last year. These buildings saved more than $3.1 billion on utility bills.
Los Angeles has remained the top city since 2008 while Washington, DC, continues to hold onto second place for the fifth consecutive year. Atlanta moved up from the number five to number three. For the first time, Philadelphia entered the top 10, ranking ninth.
The top 25 city rankings based on the number of Energy Star qualified buildings in 2013 are:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA
- New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ-PA
- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward CA
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN-WI
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX
- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood CO
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land TX
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia NC-SC
- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale AZ
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA
- San Diego-Carlsbad CA
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI
- Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade CA
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL
- Cincinnati OH-KY-IN
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA
- Columbus OH
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA
- Louisville/Jefferson County KY-IN
Commercial buildings that earn Energy Star must perform in the top 25 percent of similar buildings nationwide and must be independently verified by a licensed professional engineer or a registered architect. Energy Star certified buildings use an average of 35 percent less energy. Twenty types of commercial buildings can earn the Energy Star, including office buildings, K-12 schools, hotels, and retail stores.
