Philly Makes List of Top 25 Cities With the Most Energy Efficient Buildings in 2009

For the second year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a list of the top 25 U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest number of energy efficient buildings that earned EPA’s Energy Star in 2009.  Philadelphia just made it onto the list by tying for the 24th city with the most Energy Star buildings.

Energy efficiency saves building owners money and fights climate change. In 2009 nearly 3,900 commercial buildings in the U.S. earned the Energy Star label, saving more than $900 million in annual utility bills and cutting more than 4.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for 17 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of over $100 billion per year. EPA awards the Energy Star to commercial buildings that perform in the top 25 percent of buildings nationwide compared to similar buildings. Thirteen types of buildings can earn the Energy Star, including schools, hospitals, office buildings, retail stores and supermarkets.