Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and New York City are the three cities with the most Energy Star-certified buildings, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Atlanta and San Francisco rounded out the top five cities in the agency’s annual ranking, released Wednesday. They were followed by Dallas; Denver; Houston; Riverside, CA; and Austin, TX.
“These regions continue to make impressive strides in cutting American energy bills and pollution through energy efficiency. Their efforts contribute to stronger economies, healthier communities and cleaner air for all of us,” EPA said.
To compile its ranking, the EPA looked at the US Census Bureau’s core based statistical areas and tallied the total number of buildings that had earned the Energy Star certification in each metropolitan area last year.
Energy Star certification is based on a single year of actual, measured energy performance. Energy Star-certified buildings are verified to be more energy efficient than 75% of similar buildings nationwide, according to the EPA. Additionally, they use an average of 35% less energy, and they are responsible for 35% fewer carbon dioxide emissions than typical buildings, according to the agency.
See the complete list of cities here.
Earlier this year, the EPA announced a list of companies that it says go above and beyond in earning Energy Star certification, which included several companies operating in, investing or operating in senior living and care.
Ventas has earned the Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence in Energy Management award for two years in a row. In addition, the Chicago-based real estate investment trust won the Partner of the Year Award for the fourth consecutive year in 2024. More than 175 Ventas-owned buildings received Energy Star certification in 2023, the most certified properties of any healthcare REIT.
Chicago was ranked 11th this year for the most Energy Star-certified buildings in the country.
Among other senior living and care companies recognized earlier this year were Charlotte, NC-based Atrium Health, which increased the number of Energy Star certifications by 12 to 27 properties; Chicago-based JLL, which has 132 properties; and Toledo, OH-based REIT Welltower, which has 135 Energy Star properties.
Charlotte, NC, was No. 21 on the EPA’s cities list. Toledo wasn’t listed among the top 25 cities.
