Boston Makes the Top Ten of U.S. Cities with the Most Energy Star Certified Buildings
BOSTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its annual "Top Cities" list, spotlighting the cities with the greatest number of ENERGY STAR certified commercial and multifamily buildings in 2021. Boston is once again in the top ten of national metropolitan areas and is recognized for its continuing commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions and save money through energy efficiency.
For 2021, Boston ranked the number 10 position among the list of top 25 U.S. metropolitan areas, with 184 buildings that were ENERGY STAR certified, a significant increase since 2010 when there were 30 ENERGY STAR certified buildings in Boston. Thanks to these buildings' owners and managers, Massachusetts is cutting greenhouse gas emissions equal to emissions from 25,000 passenger vehicles and saving more than $70 million in annual utility bills. These savings also lead to significant reductions in sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), protecting the air we breathe.
"Climate change is having, and will continue to have, a costly impact on cities. Buildings are an essential focus of urban strategies to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contributes to the climate crisis," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "By working with EPA, the owners and managers of ENERGY STAR certified buildings are taking concrete actions that will reduce emissions, save on their energy bills, and help protect their cities for the future."
"The ninety-degree weather in Boston this past weekend – in May – underscores what we all are witnessing: our climate is changing rapidly. Energy efficiency is a cost-effective way to improve public health and protect our communities," said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. "Every year, more building owners in more cities are improving energy efficiency, not only to protect the environment, but also to bolster their companies' finances."
Ahead of Boston on this year's list are Los Angeles, Washington DC, Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas, New York City, Chicago, Denver, and Houston.
By the end of 2021, over 39,000 buildings across America have earned ENERGY STAR certification. Together, these buildings have saved more than $5 billion on energy bills and prevented nearly 22 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions—equal to the annual emissions of more than 2.7 million homes.
To earn the ENERGY STAR, a commercial building must achieve an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher on EPA's 1 – 100 scale, indicating that it is more energy efficient than 75% of similar buildings nationwide. A building's ENERGY STAR score is calculated based on a number of factors, including energy use, hours of operation, and a variety of other operating characteristics.
Throughout the COVID pandemic in 2021, building owners and managers relied on the ENERGY STAR score to maintain a clear picture of their buildings' energy performance, despite major changes to their operations. While many office buildings, schools, and retail stores saw significant reductions in occupancy, most hospitals and multifamily buildings were more heavily used. The ENERGY STAR score took these changes into account and continued to provide an accurate assessment of performance for all types of buildings.
About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations—including nearly 40% of the Fortune 500®—rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs and achieve 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. More background information about ENERGY STAR's impacts can be found at www.energystar.gov/impacts and state-level information can be found at www.energystar.gov/statefacts.
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