Boston Tops ACEEE’s Most Energy Efficient City Rankings, LA Most Improved Overall
Boston scored 84.5 out of a possible 100 points in the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE’s) latest City Energy Efficiency Scorecard. On the other end of the spectrum, Birmingham, AL, accumulated only 7 out of 100 points, showing the most need for improvement in energy efficiency. Most encouraging, 32 of the ranked cities showed marked improvement for overall energy efficiency between 2015 and 2017.
"Being recognized as America's most energy-efficient city is an accomplishment that should be shared by all Bostonians. Whether you're a resident who lowered their monthly utility bill through Renew Boston or an owner of one of our city's leading green buildings, we should all be proud of our success to reduce energy and save money,” said Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh (D).
ACEEE evaluated 51 cities in the US, representing almost 15 percent of the country’s population, on five key criteria. They were ranked in the efficiency of local government operations, implementation of community initiatives, adoption of energy efficient building codes, efficiency of energy and water utilities, and how local governments implement clean and efficient transportation policies. Points were tallied and cities were given a total score out of 100 possible points.
“Across the nation, cities are taking steps to save energy and they are creating more economically vibrant and resilient communities in the process,” said ACEEE senior researcher David Ribeiro. “More cities are requiring building owners to benchmark and report buildings' energy use, updating building energy codes, and setting community-wide goals to save energy and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. We also see a new set of cities emerging as leaders for energy efficiency, knocking on the door of the top 10.”
Following top-ranked Boston on the scorecard were New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles, Portland, OR, Austin, Texas, Chicago, Washington DC, Denver and San Fransisco. In contrast, along with last ranked Birmingham, AL, the report found that Hartford, CT, Memphis, TN, and Oklahoma City, OK, needed the most energy efficiency improvements city-wide, including new energy efficiency policies and operations.
The report also showed that 11 cities saw improved 10 points or more between 2015 and 2017. Los Angeles showed the most improvement, increasing its rating 25 points to 76.5 out of 100, marking the first time the City of Angels has breached the top 10. The other cities that marked the most improvement were Orlando, FL; San Diego, CA; Kansas City, KS; Phoenix, AZ, Austin, Texas; Philadelphia; Denver; Pittsburgh; Raleigh, NC; and Portland, OR.
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