The Top 34 Cities Ranked on Energy Efficiency
Across the United States there have been massive movements toward implementing more green measures for the ways in which we carry out our daily lives. With so many new developments seemingly occurring on a daily basis here in the Hub, all of these, including our green efforts with transportation, recycling, electricity and more have seen Boston make some massive strides since March. It was only in March when it was released that Boston as a whole was deservingly recognized as the #10 most energy efficient city across the United States. In fact, it comes to be known that this city in that short period of time has now jumped up ten places and has just been awarded as the #1 most energy efficient city nationwide!
The American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy has ranked the top 34 cities in the country based on various categories. These levels of measurement were, local government prices, overall volume of green buildings, community-wide projects, transportation efficiency, and utility participation. For Boston, the strongest points that spiked them to the top of the list were our community-wide programs and utility partnerships. One of those partnerships that has made the biggest impact is the Renew Boston program. This initiative provides residents of Boston free energy assessments thus giving them the opportunity to receive up to $2,000 off air sealing and insulation work done to their property.
The Top 10 cities this time were Boston, followed by Portland, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Washington, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Philadelphia. For the various categories studied and to see how Boston scored for each of them, please see the following:
Local Government Operations - 11/15 points
Community-Wide Initiatives - 9.5/10 points
Buildings Policies - 21.5/29 points
Energy & Water Utility Policies and Public Benefits Programs - 15.75/18 points
Transportation Policies - 19/28 points
TOTAL SCORE - 76.75/100 points
With a handful of new forward-thinking green policies in place, countless projects being built with this green vision and more, this appears to be quite the remarkable transitional stage for Boston. The future for not just the real estate market but the overall efficiency and lessening of our carbon footprint on the Earth here in Boston looks to be on the ideal path for years to come.
More Information: Business Insider
