The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recently published the 2015 biennial city energy efficiency scorecard, ranking U.S. cities based on local energy policies and initiatives.
The rating is based on five crucial criteria including local government operations, community-wide initiatives, building policies, energy and water utility policies and transportation. Each category is worth up to 100 points.
Boston, Massachusetts was ranked number one with 82 points, the only city to obtain over 80 percent of the possible points.
Boston was rated number one in building policy, energy and water utilities, water efficiency efforts, as well as natural gas efficiency.
The city also has a range of energy efficient programs and ordinances including the Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance, Renew Boston initiative, Renew Boston Solar and a climate action plan.
Boston has also created the Greenovate Boston campaign, a program aimed at emission reduction through citizen engagement in climate and sustainability initiatives. Engagement includes community meetings, bike weeks and how to improve energy efficiency in the home.
"Community outreach is really the key element. One thing that we're really focusing on is making sure that when we are communicating with our residents and businesses, we're making sure we're reaching out to those people who haven't heard the message already," said Boston's chief of environment, energy and open space Austin Blackmon.
The top five cities according to the ACEEE are:
- Boston, MA
- New York, New York
- Washington D.C.
- San Francisco, California
- Seattle, Washington.
Many experts believe changes in cities can translate to innovations and new practices throughout states.
Making energy efficient changes in a city begins with the personal changes of residents and commercial changes in homes and businesses. Schedule an energy audit with Alban Inspections to learn how your home can enhance the impact. Visit our website for more information.