Environmental News Bits

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing a list of U.S. metropolitan areas with the greatest number of energy-efficient buildings that earned EPA’s Energy Star certification in 2010. The list of 25 cities is headed by Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; San Francisco; Chicago; New York; Atlanta; Houston; Sacramento; Detroit; and Dallas-Fort Worth. The growth in Energy Star certified buildings across the country has prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions from the energy use of nearly 1.3 million homes a year, protecting people’s health, while saving more than $1.9 billion.

“When it’s more important than ever to cut energy costs and reduce pollution in our communities, organizations across America are making their buildings more efficient, raising the bar in energy efficiency and lowering the amount of carbon pollution and other emissions in the air we breathe,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Through their partnership with Energy Star, metropolitan areas across the U.S. are saving a combined $1.9 billion in energy costs every year while developing new ways to shrink energy bills and keep our air clean.”

EPA debuted its list of cities with the most Energy Star certified buildings in 2008. Los Angeles remains in first place for the third year; the District of Columbia and San Francisco hold second and third respectively for the second year; and Detroit and Sacramento are new to the top ten. New York City climbed five spots to claim fifth in the rankings and California boasts more cities on EPA’s list than any other state in the country with a total of five.

Surpassing the growth of the past several years, in 2010 more than 6,200 commercial buildings earned the Energy Star, an increase of nearly 60 percent compared to 2009. Since EPA awarded the first Energy Star to a building in 1999, more than 12,600 buildings across America have earned the Energy Star as of the end of 2010.

Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for nearly 20 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. Commercial buildings that earn the Energy Star must perform in the top 25 percent of buildings nationwide compared to similar buildings and be independently verified by a licensed professional engineer or registered architect each year. Energy Star certified buildings use 35 percent less energy and emit 35 percent less carbon dioxide than average buildings. Fourteen types of commercial buildings can earn the Energy Star, including office buildings, K-12 schools, and retail stores.

• More information on the top cities in 2010 with Energy Star certified buildings: http://www.energystar.gov/TopCities
• More information on EPA’s real-time registry of all Energy Star certified buildings: http://energystar.gov/buildinglist
• More information about earning the Energy Star for commercial buildings: http://energystar.gov/labeledbuildings