Atlanta Ranks 3rd Among EPA’s 2023 Top Cities for ENERGY STAR Certified Buildings
With 376 ENERGY STAR certified buildings, Atlanta is cutting energy costs while increasing efficiency and reducing emissions
ATLANTA (April 26, 2023) – Today, 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 in 2022. Atlanta ranked third among all U.S. cities and tops among the Southeast with 376 buildings.
“In many cities, a majority of greenhouse gas emissions results from the energy used by buildings,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “I applaud this year’s top cities, as well as the owners and managers of each ENERGY STAR certified building in them, for taking real action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help America address the climate crisis.”
“The Southeast shows a commitment to cutting building-related costs and reducing waste,” said EPA Region 4 Administrator Daniel Blackman. “This partnership between city and business leaders demonstrates the benefits that result from embracing energy efficiency as a simple and effective way to save money, reduce emissions and protect the environment.”
Commercial buildings are responsible for 16% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and spend more than $190 billion per year on energy. In many cities, buildings are the largest contributor of emissions—responsible for 30% to more than 70% of a city’s total emissions. ENERGY STAR certified buildings use an average of 35% less energy and are responsible for 35% 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, which includes the city itself as well as surrounding suburbs. EPA creates separate rankings for mid-sized and small cities. This year’s list includes buildings that earned EPA’s ENERGY STAR during the year 2022. This year’s Top Cities are:
Top 25 Cities Overall
Rank Metro Area Building Count Last Year’s Rank
1 Los Angeles 748 1
2 Washington DC 555 2
3 Atlanta 376 3
4 San Francisco 343 4
5 New York 256 6
6 Riverside 230 18
6 Denver 230 8
8 Dallas 221 5
8 Chicago 221 7
10 Boston 205 10
11 Houston 195 9
12 Tampa 184 15
13 Seattle 180 13
14 San Diego 170 11
15 Austin 168 12
16 Minneapolis 156 14
17 Phoenix 131 16
18 San Jose 110 16
19 Charlotte 105 19
20 Miami 94 20
21 Sacramento 88 23
22 Philadelphia 76 22
23 Orlando 64 24
24 Portland 63 n/a
25 Raleigh 59 n/a
25 Cincinnati 59 25
Top 10 Mid-Sized Cities
Rank Metro Area Building Count Last Year’s Rank
1 Raleigh, N.C. 59 3
2 Des Moines, Iowa 49 9
3 Provo, Utah 47 2
4 Grand Rapids, Mich. 37 n/a
5 Bakersfield, Calif. 35 n/a
5 Salt Lake City, Utah 35 8
5 Louisville, Ky. 35 4
8 Boulder, Colo. 31 6
8 Milwaukee, Wis. 31 n/a
10 Visalia, Calif. 27 n/a
Top 10 Small Cities
Rank Metro Area Building Count Last Year’s Rank
1 Jackson, Mich. 41 1
2 Sioux City, Iowa 16 3
3 Punta Gorda, Fla. 13 n/a
4 Dubuque, Iowa 12 n/a
5 Saginaw, Mich 11 7
5 Carson City, Nev. 11 4
7 Elizabethtown, Ky. 10 4
7 Midland, Mich. 10 n/a
9 Owensboro, Ky. 9 n/a
10 Richmond-Berea, Ky 8 n/a
Across the country, more than 7,000 commercial buildings earned the EPA’s ENERGY STAR last year. As of the end of 2022, nearly 41,000 buildings across America have earned ENERGY STAR certification. Together, these buildings have saved $5.4 billion on energy bills and prevented more than 22 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions—equal to the annual emissions of more than 2.7 million homes.
To earn the ENERGY STAR, a commercial building must achieve an ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher on EPA’s 1 – 100 scale, indicating that it is more energy efficient than 75% of similar buildings nationwide. A building’s ENERGY STAR score is calculated based on a number of factors, including energy use, hours of operation, and a variety of other operating characteristics.
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More on ENERGY STAR Top Cities, including this year’s ranking of top small and mid-sized cities, as well as last year’s rankings: www.energystar.gov/topcities.
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Search for ENERGY STAR certified buildings: www.energystar.gov/buildinglocator.
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More about earning the ENERGY STAR certification for commercial buildings: www.energystar.gov/buildingcertification.
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More about EPA’s ENERGY STAR program: www.energystar.gov/about.
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% of the Fortune 500®—rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs and achieve 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions.