Categories: EnergyPhilly

Philly #9 City with Most Energy Star Buildings!

Philadelphia can brag about another top 10 list – this time, with energy efficient buildings.

Philly is #9 of ENERGY STAR buildings! Philly has entered the top 10 list for the first time.

Philadelphia #9 City with ENERGY STAR Buildings

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 6th annual list of metropolitan areas with the most Energy Star certified buildings in 2013. Entering the list for the first time, Philly falls after #1 LA, Washington DC, Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas & Denver, respectively. Houston surprisingly rounds out the list at #10. Almost 7000 buildings qualified for ENERGY STAR certification in 2013, saving $1.4 billion.

Philly was also noted for its green roofs on buildings like PECO. Other ENERGY STAR certified buildings in Philly include the Cira Center, Aramark Tower, Mercy Philadelphia Hospital, One Penn Center and 2401 Walnut, home to City CoHo, the sustainable co-working space. Energy efficiency of buildings is part of Mayor Nutter’s Greenworks Philadelphia plan.

Commercial buildings account for 20% of America’s energy use & greenhouse gas emissions, costing $100 billion annually. A program started in 1992 by the EPA, ENERGY STAR (Editor’s note: Proper use is all caps, my Caps Lock key isn’t stuck) buildings are qualified by an independent test, performing in the top 25% of similar buildings nationwide with energy efficiency. Building types qualified in the rankings include office, K-12 schools, hotels & retail stores.

 

Readers, what do you think of Philly’s rankings?

Julie Hancher

Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake.

Recent Posts

Moving Fast and Breaking Climate goals: What Pennsylvania’s Data Center boom means for local communities

$90 billion in investments could reshape the energy landscape, but community voices and renewable alternatives…

6 days ago

Trash competition, government shutdown, November elections, & more

Catch up on the latest sustainability news:  Block by Block launches citywide cleanup competition with…

7 days ago

From coal to solar affordability: PA’s next energy chapter shaped by HB 504

Farmers and city residents alike stand to benefit from local, homegrown power, says Land &…

1 week ago

Celebrating Solar at “Sun Day,” trash burning ban proposed & more

Catch up on the latest sustainability news:  Philly mobilizes for Sun Day solar energy celebration.…

2 weeks ago

You can be exposed to PFAS through food, water, even swimming in lakes – new maps show how risk from ‘forever chemicals’ varies

Drinking water isn’t the only way people are exposed to PFAS today. This article is…

2 weeks ago

Building connections: How Ash Richards uses land care as cultural preservation

The city’s Director of Urban Agriculture talks about the impact of history, gardening as collective…

2 weeks ago