3 Texas cities among EPA's 2023 top 20 for Energy Star-certified buildings
DALLAS - The EPA has announced its annual list of U.S. cities with the greatest number of ENERGY STAR-certified commercial and multifamily buildings in 2022.
Three Texas cities made the list: Dallas (tied for 8th with Chicago), Houston (11) and Austin (15).
Los Angeles topped the list for the fourth year in a row with 748 ENERGY STAR-certified buildings, followed by Washington D.C. with 555 and Atlanta with 376. New York City joined the top five with 256 after being sixth last year and with Dallas falling to eighth.
The EPA says that commercial buildings are responsible for 16% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and spend more than $190 billion per year on energy, as well as account for 30% to more than 70% of a city’s total emissions.
ENERGY STAR-certified buildings use an average of 35% less energy and are responsible for 35% less carbon dioxide emissions than typical buildings, says the agency.
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The EPA says it has been tracking this list since 2009 to show how buildings across the country are embracing energy efficiency. To create the list, the EPA tallies the number of ENERGY STAR-certified buildings within each metropolitan area according to the U.S. Census, which includes the city and surrounding suburbs.
This year's list includes buildings that earned ENERGY STAR certification during the year 2022.
Top 25 Cities Overall
- 1 - Los Angeles - 748
- 2 - Washington DC - 555
- 3 - Atlanta - 376
- 4 - San Francisco - 343
- 5 - New York - 256
- 6 - Riverside - 230
- 6 - Denver - 230
- 8 - Dallas - 221
- 8 - Chicago - 221
- 10 - Boston - 205
- 11 - Houston - 195
- 12 - Tampa - 184
- 13 - Seattle - 180
- 14 - San Diego - 170
- 15 - Austin - 168
- 16 - Minneapolis - 156
- 17 - Phoenix - 131
- 18 - San Jose - 110
- 19 - Charlotte - 105
- 20 - Miami - 94
- 21 - Sacramento - 88
- 22 - Philadelphia - 76
- 23 - Orlando - 64
- 24 - Portland - 63
- 25 - Raleigh - 59
- 25 - Cincinnati - 59
EPA also creates separate rankings for mid-sized and small cities.
To earn the certification, a commercial building must achieve an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher on a 1 – 100 scale, indicating that it is more energy efficient than 75% of similar buildings nationwide.
A building’s score is calculated based on a number of factors, including energy use, hours of operation, and a variety of other operating characteristics.