Here is a list of top 10 cities for energy efficiency, as designated by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. Details about the ACEEE’s analysis can be found here.
1. Boston
2. Portland, Ore.
3. New York City*
4. San Francisco*
5. Seattle*
6. Austin
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Minneapolis
9. Chicago
10. Philadelphia
*NYC, San Francisco and Seattle tied with the same number of points in the ranking.
I’m curious how these rankings were determined. It seems to me that when we are talking about energy-efficiency, it is very important to explain what is behind the metrics. Are these rankings on a per capita basis? Is economic output considered? Perhaps most importantly, is the data climate-normalized(of course, Fairbanks, AK uses more energy than San Francisco)? Is this considering only Site EUI, or is Source energy considered? And is it fair to judge cities based on the energy sources that are regionally available?
More information please?
Hi Lyle,
Thanks for your question. The ACEEE rated the cities based on government policy and utility programs, not on energy sources. The organization details its methodology here: http://www.aceee.org/research-report/e13g. Hope that helps. Best, Elisa