Washington D.C. climbed the ladder this year from the number four spot to the number two spot in the ranking of number of energy-efficient buildings in a metropolitan region. Los Angeles has held the top spot since 2008.
Following Washington D.C. and Los Angeles on the list were San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Houston, Lakeland, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta and New York. Last year, there were a total of 3,900 commercial buildings that earned the “Energy Star Rating.â€
The 3,900 buildings translate into $900 million in savings in utility bills. It also means a savings of 4.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. This program, although started in 1992, has seen impressive growth over the past few years.
Washington D.C. moved up to the number two spot because it earned “Energy Star†ratings for 204 commercial buildings. Also, the schools in Washington D.C. have played a major role in the rankings. Over 30% of the school’s buildings have earned the “Energy Star†rating as well.
“Energy Star†is an Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy program was originally created over a decade ago to help save money and protect the environment by means of energy efficient products and practices.
