Yesterday, the EPA announced that the nation’s Capitol has dethroned Los Angeles at the top of their 7th annual Best Cities list with 480 super efficient, Energy Star certified buildings.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen “Washington” and “efficient” in the same sentence. But when it comes to energy efficient buildings, D.C. is leading the way for efficient cities. The surprise outcome proves once and for all that it doesn’t take an act of Congress to go green.
The EPA also announced that the total number of Energy Star buildings nationwide now exceeds 25,000. In addition to eliminating the equivalent greenhouse gas emissions of about 2.4 million homes annually, those buildings have combined for $3.4 billion in savings on utility bills and electricity costs.
The full 2014 best cities list is below. See if your city made the cut. If not, it’s time to start asking why.
1. Washington, DC - 480 Energy Star buildings
2. Los Angeles - 475 Energy Star buildings
3. Atlanta - 328 Energy Star buildings
4. New York - 299 Energy Star buildings
5. San Francisco - 292 Energy Star buildings
6. Chicago - 251 Energy Star buildings
7. Dallas-Fort Worth - 248 Energy Star buildings
8. Houston **- **235 Energy Star buildings
9. Denver - 195 Energy Star buildings
10. Boston - 176 Energy Star buildings
11. Phoenix - 165 Energy Star buildings
12. Philadelphia - 158 Energy Star buildings
13. Seattle - 149 Energy Star buildings
14. Riverside, CA - 127 Energy Star buildings
15. Minneapolis-St. Paul - 122 Energy Star buildings
16. Charlotte - 95 Energy Star buildings
17. San Diego - 92 Energy Star buildings
18. Miami - 90 Energy Star buildings
19. Sacramento - 89 Energy Star buildings
20. Virginia Beach - 81 Energy Star buildings
21. Detroit - 80 Energy Star buildings
22. San Jose - 70 Energy Star buildings
23. Austin - 65 Energy Star buildings
23. Portland, OR - 65 Energy Star buildings
24. Louisville - 59 Energy Star buildings
24. Tampa - 59 Energy Star buildings
25. Salt Lake City - 55 Energy Star buildings