Washington, D.C. topped the annual U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ranking of U.S. cities with the most Energy Star buildings.
The nation’s capitol was propelled to the top spot by its new benchmarking law requiring large private buildings to measure and publicly report their energy and water performance using the Energy Star Portfolio Manager online tool. D.C. is the first city in the U.S. to adopt this law.
With 480 Energy Star-certified buildings, the EPA estimates D.C.'s Energy Star buildings have saved $127.1 million, and enough electricity to power 73,500 homes. Los Angeles fell to second place with 475 certified buildings.
To earn the Energy Star certification, a commercial building must score 75 or higher on an energy efficiency scale out of 100 on the Energy Star online tool. A score of 50 is the average. Certification requires a professional engineer or registered architect to verify that the assessment is accurate.
Related Stories
Sustainability | Sep 19, 2016
Brussels’ Botanic Center apartment block looks to live up to its name with the addition of 10,000 plants and a rooftop “Chrysalis”
The project, which has been commissioned and is in the design phase, would eliminate CO2 and produce its own energy.
Energy | Sep 13, 2016
Oberlin College to hold conference on post-fossil fuel economy
The gathering will address climate change and new sources of energy.
BIM and Information Technology | Sep 7, 2016
Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool updated to factor in waste management
The costs and benefits of managing 29 types of waste are now included.
Sustainability | Aug 30, 2016
New federal project plans must include climate impacts
Agencies must quantify the specific impacts when possible.
Sponsored | Coatings | Aug 29, 2016
Making a greener future with biorenewable coatings
Biorenewable and recycled materials help eliminate waste and reduce the use of virgin materials
Green | Aug 29, 2016
Vancouver, B.C., to require zero emissions on new buildings by 2030
No net GHG emissions will be allowed.
Great Solutions | Aug 23, 2016
Visual energy model database demystifies net-zero design
Diamond Schmitt Architects’ ecoMetrics tool allows its designers to quickly analyze solutions based on models from 44 LEED-certified projects.
Energy Efficiency | Aug 17, 2016
Investor Confidence Project aimed at raising trustworthiness on energy efficiency projects
The new initiative screens projects to see if they are investor-ready.
| Aug 3, 2016
GREEN BUILDING GIANTS: Sustainability leaders turn to wellness and technology to get an edge
AEC leaders in green building are stepping up to a higher level of innovation and to be a green leader today, you have to dig deeper into data.
| Aug 3, 2016
Top 60 Green Building Engineering Firms
Jacobs, AECOM, and Arup top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest green building sector engineering and E/A firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
