60% Increase in Energy Star Buildings in 2010 - New York #5

In 2010 more than 6,200 commercial buildings earned the Energy Star label for superior energy efficiency--an increase of nearly 60% over 2009.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released its third-annual list of U.S. cities with the most Energy Star labeled buildings. Los Angeles remained first on the list of list, followed by Washington D.C. and San Francisco.

Since EPA awarded the first ENERGY STAR to a building in 1999, more than 12,600 buildings across America have earned the label. Overall annual utility savings have climbed to more than $1.9 billion and greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions of nearly 1.3 million homes a year have been prevented.
Los Angeles remains in first place for the third year, while the District of Columbia and San Francisco hold second and third respectively for the second year.

Detroit and Sacramento are new to the top ten; and New York City climbed five spots to claim fifth in the rankings. California boasts more cities on EPA's list than any other state in the country with a total of five.
A couple of standout buildings in the top three cities include a Staples store and the John W. Mack Elementary School in Los Angeles; the National Housing Center Corporation and U.S. Department of Transportation Building in Washington, D.C.; and the Embarcadero Center and Wells Fargo Center in San Francisco. A combination of behavioral changes (such as energy efficiency training programs for employees) and facility upgrades (such as lighting retrofits) led to big energy and cost savings for these buildings, EPA said.

The top 25 U.S. metropolitan areas with the greatest number of ENERGY STAR certified buildings in 2010 are:

1. Los Angeles, CA
2. Washington, DC
3. San Francisco, CA
4. Chicago, IL
5. New York, NY
6. Atlanta, GA
7. Houston, TX
8. Sacramento, CA
9. Detroit, MI
10. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
11. Denver, CO
12. Boston, MA
13. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
14. Philadelphia, P
15. Portland, OR
16. Seattle, WA
17. Phoenix, AZ
18. Austin, TX
19. Charlotte, NC
20. San Diego, CA
21. Miami, FL
22. San Jose, CA
23. Des Moines, IA
24. Indianapolis, IN
25. Cincinnati, OH

Source
City Power and Gas