Energy use in commercial buildings is responsible for 17 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA launched Energy Star certification in 1992. Energy Star is a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. To earn Energy Star certification commercial buildings must perform in the top
25 percent of buildings with similar specifications nationwide. Certification requires verification by a
professional engineer or a registered architect.
Energy Star certified
buildings use an average of 35 percent less energy and produce 35 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than average buildings. The EPA says that Energy Star prevented more than 1.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
Acccording to the EPA in 2012, there were more than 20,000 Energy Star certified buildings in the U.S., up 24% over the previous year. The top U.S. cities in terms of number of Energy Star certified buildings are
- Los Angeles – 528 buildings.
- Washington, D.C. – 462
- Chicago – 353
- New York – 325
- Atlanta – 304
- San Francisco – 291
- Houston – 241
- Dallas Ft-Worth – 214
- Phoenix – 202
- Boston – 188
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