Today EPA released its annual list of U.S. metropolitan areas with the most certified Energy Star buildings in 2013. Boston is again being recognized for its continuing commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions and save money through energy efficiency.
For 2013, Boston ranked 13th among the list of top 25 U.S. metropolitan areas, and had 141 buildings Energy Star certified. Thanks to these buildings' owners and managers, Boston is cutting greenhouse gas emissions equal to emissions from 29,591 passenger vehicles, and saving more than $49 million in annual utility bills.
Ahead of Boston on this year's list are Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Philadelphia, Houston, Charlotte and Phoenix. By the end of 2013, the more than 23,000 Energy Star certified buildings in cities across America have helped save more than $3.1 billion in annual utility bills and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to emissions from the annual electricity use of more than 2.2 million homes.
"We congratulate Boston for once again representing New England on this list of cities across America that are taking tangible steps to conserve energy and thereby reduce emissions of air pollution and greenhouse gases," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA's New England office. "Thousands of facility owners and managers have used Energy Star to evaluate and improve their building's energy performance. Lowering commercial building energy costs is good business. Many state and local governments also recognize that benchmarking can save taxpayer money, strengthen local economies, and protect the planet for decades to come."
Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for 17 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and costs more than $100 billion per year. Commercial buildings that earn EPA's Energy Star must perform in the top 25 percent of similar buildings nationwide, as verified by a Professional Engineer or a Registered Architect. Energy Star certified buildings cost $0.50 cents less per square foot to operate and use nearly two times less energy per square foot than average office buildings. Twenty types of commercial buildings can earn the Energy Star, including office buildings, K-12 schools, and retail stores.
Launched in 1992 by EPA, Energy Star is a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Over the past 21 years, with help from Energy Star, American families and businesses have saved $297 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Today, the Energy Star label can be found on products in more than 70 different categories and more than 1.5 million new homes, in addition to the more than 23,000 commercial buildings.
