EPA: L.A. Tops US Cities in Energy Star Ratings for Second Year
For the second year in a row, Los Angeles tops the list of U.S. cities with the most Energy Star-labeled buildings.
The list, released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ranks U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest number of energy efficient buildings that earned EPA's Energy Star in 2009.
Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Houston, Lakeland, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and New York head the list.
EPA first debuted its ranking of cities with the most Energy Star-labeled buildings last year. This year, Los Angeles remains in first place; the District of Columbia picks up second; Denver and Chicago move into the Top Five; and Lakeland and New York City are new to the Top Ten.
Nearly 3,900 commercial buildings earned the Energy Star in 2009, representing estimated annual savings of more than $900 million in utility bills and more than 4.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, according to EPA.
Since EPA awarded the first Energy Star to a building in 1999, nearly 9,000 buildings across America have earned the Energy Star as of the end of 2009, representing more than a 40 percent increase over last year's total. Overall, estimated annual utility savings have climbed to more than $1.6 billion and greenhouse gas emissions equal to the estimated emissions of more than 1 million homes a year have been prevented, according to EPA.
Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for 17 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and costs an estimated $100 billion per year, according to EPA.
EPA awards the Energy Star to commercial buildings that perform in the top 25 percent of buildings nationwide compared to similar buildings. Thirteen types of buildings can earn the Energy Star, including schools, hospitals, office buildings, retail stores and supermarkets.
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