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Charlotte Makes List of Top 25 U.S. Cities with the Most ENERGY STAR Buildings

Release Date: 03/12/2013
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, [email protected]

ATLANTA – Today, the city of Charlotte was listed as 1 of 25 cities with the greatest number of energy-efficient buildings that earned the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Energy Star certification in 2012.

Energy Star labeled buildings in Charlotte achieved significant reductions in their energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions. These buildings represent more than 17 million square feet and will save more than $15 million annually in energy costs while preventing greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions of 10,800 homes a year. Energy Star buildings and plants are America’s energy all-stars – they save more, use less and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

By the end of 2012, more than 20,000 Energy Star certified buildings across America have helped save nearly $2.7 billion in annual utility bills and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to emissions from the annual energy use of more than two million homes.

Continuing the impressive growth of the past several years, in 2012, more than 8,200 buildings earned EPA’s Energy Star certification, signifying that they perform in the top 25 percent of similar buildings nationwide. For the fifth year in a row, Los Angeles holds on to first place, with 528 buildings, but Washington, D.C., with 462 buildings, is a competitive front-runner. Currently in third place with 353 buildings, Chicago has risen through the rankings each year, starting in sixth place in 2008 and growing by an average of 32 percent each year. New York, which recently required its commercial buildings to publicly disclose their energy use, secured fourth place. Phoenix broke into the top 10 for the first time, with 202 buildings. Boston—a newcomer to the list last year, held on to 10th place this year, but 11^th-place Philadelphia is not far behind.

Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for 17 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of 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 use an average of 35 percent less energy and are responsible for 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than average buildings. Fifteen 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 20 years, with help from Energy Star, American families and businesses have saved about $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.7 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Today, the Energy Star label can be found on more than 65 different kinds of products and more than 1.3 million new homes, in addition to the more than 20,000 commercial buildings.

See the full list of top cities: http://energystar.gov/topcities

Take an in-depth look at the data behind Energy Star certified buildings: http://energystar.gov/datatrends

More about earning the Energy Star for commercial buildings: http://energystar.gov/labeledbuildings