Boston’s #1!

Boston ranked most energy efficient among U.S. cities!

A new report from the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) graded America’s 34 largest cities on what they are doing to save energy, and Boston came in first place! ACEEE ranked the cities’ efforts in five key areas: buildings; transportation; energy and water utility efforts; local government operations; and community-wide initiatives. Boston was in at least the top 3 for all the 5 categories, took second for transportation, and tied for first in utility programs. What put Boston at the top of the list was our top score in community initiatives. According to the report,” Boston achieved the highest score overall, 76.75 out of a possible 100, and scored well in all policy areas. Particularly notable are its community-wide programs and utility partnerships, including the Renew Boston initiative.”

ACEEE cited four areas that helped the City of Boston take top honors in the report, all of which relate to its building energy and community engagement efforts:

  • Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s 2009 Executive Order and 2011 Climate Action Plan, which set energy savings goals for the City’s municipal operations and the entire community;
  • The progress the City has made towards these goals, which has been supported by the Mayor’s Greenovate Boston initiative and by the business and institutional leaders on the Boston Green Ribbon Commission;
  • The effective outreach and partnerships the City has formed with community groups and utility companies to bring energy savings to residents and small businesses through its Renew Boston program; and
  • The City’s 2013 Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance, which requires all large buildings to rate and report their energy use to improve energy management.

“We couldn’t be more proud of our progress in creating a greener, healthier city,” Mayor Menino said. “Boston is a world-class city, and we know that our economic prosperity is tied to its ‘greenovation,’ which has helped create jobs and improve our bottom-line. Reducing our energy use is just one smart step in improving the quality of life in Boston and around the world.”

“Our report finds that Boston is leading the nation’s cities when it comes to saving energy,” said Steven Nadel, executive director of ACEEE. “With programs like Renew Boston, the city has shown an impressive commitment to cutting down on energy waste, which will result in lower energy costs for residents and businesses, a more robust economy, and healthier environment.”

Other top-scoring cities include Portland, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Austin. The next tier of top-scoring cities (Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Chicago, Philadelphia and Denver) have also developed efficiency initiatives and are poised to rise in the rankings in future years. The report also presented a number of key findings and follow-up recommendations based on the profiled cities’ best practices.

“Our report shows that cities are laboratories of innovation for energy-saving solutions that directly benefit people where they live, work and play,” said Eric Mackres, ACEEE’s local policy manager and the report’s lead author. “Local governments have great influence over energy use in their communities and many have initiatives that result in significant energy and cost savings.”

To read the report and its key findings and recommendations, and to view the interactive infographic, visit: http://aceee.org/local-policy/city-scorecard