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Why Los Angeles and San Francisco Top ENERGY STAR's Green Buildings Rankings

by Don Knapp

Yesterday the EPA unveiled its 2008 list of the top 25 cities with the largest number of buildings that earned the ENERGY STAR label. Los Angeles came out on top, with 262 buildings that saved $87.2 million thanks to their energy efficiency, and prevented the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 35,800 households. San Francisco came in second with 192 buildings. Two other California cities, Sacramento and Riverside, made the top 25 as well.

Why did California cities rule this list? A few possible reasons:

1. Los Angeles has an aggressive and far-reaching Green Building Ordinance for private construction, which was enacted in 2002 and tightened in 2008. San Francisco did the same.

2. California communities must reduce their GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 to be in compliance with the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32); they realize that reducing emissions from the built environment is key to achieving this goal.

3. The State of California has been a leader in energy efficiency policies--in homes, commercial buildings, appliances, etc.--since the 1970s. A 2008 report from the University of California at Berkeley found that Californians had saved about $56 billion in electricity costs and created 1.5 million jobs over 35 years by using energy more efficiently than other states.

4. California utilities such as Pacific Gas & Electric and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have hammered home the advantages of energy efficiency, and offered innovative programs to help their customers adopt energy efficiency measures.

Any other thoughts on why Los Angeles and San Francisco came out on top?

Here is the full ranking from EPA:

1. Los Angeles, CA

2. San Francisco, CA

3. Houston, TX

4. Washington, DC

5. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX

6. Chicago, IL

7. Denver, CO

8. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN

9. Atlanta, GA

10. Seattle, WA