EPA names Denver and Boulder in lists of Top Cities for ENERGY STAR Certified Buildings in 2020

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Denver ranks 10th in top U.S. cities list while Boulder ranks eighth in top mid-sized cities list, cutting energy costs while increasing efficiency, reducing emissions

06/15/2021

DENVER - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing its annual 'Top Cities' list, spotlighting the cities with the greatest number of ENERGY STAR certified commercial and multifamily buildings last year. Denver ranked 10th on the list of top 25 cities, with 186 ENERGY STAR certified buildings. Boulder, with 32 buildings, secured the eighth spot in the mid-sized cities ranking. Los Angeles leads the pack of top 25 cities, with more than 580 buildings. Close behind is Washington, D.C., with nearly 550 buildings, followed by San Francisco in third place. Atlanta and New York round out the top five.

'Cities and communities play an essential role in reducing energy use in commercial and multifamily buildings,' said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. 'With help from ENERGY STAR, city leaders and building owners are working together to strengthen their economies and reduce the emissions that lead to climate change.'

'Boulder is pleased to have the EPA recognize our businesses and building owners for their leadership on climate action,' said Boulder Mayor Sam Weaver. 'They realized that saving money while improving comfort and building performance benefits everyone.'

Commercial buildings are responsible for 18 percent of the nation's energy use and cost more than $190 billion per year in energy bills. ENERGY STAR certified buildings use an average of 35 percent less energy and are responsible for 35 percent less carbon dioxide emissions than typical buildings.

First released in 2009, EPA's list of cities with the most ENERGY STAR certified buildings shows how buildings across America are embracing energy efficiency as a simple and effective way to save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To create the annual list, EPA tallies the number of ENERGY STAR certified buildings within each metropolitan area, as defined by the U.S. Census. These areas include the city itself as well as surrounding suburbs. Across the country, nearly 6,500 commercial buildings earned the ENERGY STAR last year.

As of the end of 2020, over the lifetime of the program more than 37,000 buildings across America had earned EPA's ENERGY STAR certification. Together, these buildings have saved more than $5 billion on energy bills and prevented nearly 22 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions-equal to the annual emissions of more than 2.6 million homes.

To earn EPA's ENERGY STAR, a commercial building must earn an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher on EPA's 1 - 100 scale, indicating that it is more energy efficient than 75 percent of similar buildings nationwide. When calculating a building's ENERGY STAR score, ENERGY STAR takes into account multiple factors, including hours of operation, energy use, and occupancy. This means that, despite buildings operating differently during the COVID pandemic, ENERGY STAR scores and certification still reflect actual, measured energy efficiency.

About ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations-including nearly 40 percent of the Fortune 500®-rely on their partnership with EPA to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Together, since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners have helped American families and businesses save 5 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity, avoid more than $450 billion in energy costs, and achieve 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions, all through voluntary action. Learn more about ENERGY STAR at energystar.gov/about.

More on ENERGY STAR Top Cities, including the 2020 ranking of top small and mid-sized cities, as well as last year's rankings: www.energystar.gov/topcities

Search for ENERGY STAR certified buildings: www.energystar.gov/buildinglocator

More about earning the ENERGY STAR certification for commercial buildings: www.energystar.gov/buildingcertification

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