California cities lead the nation as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces its annual ENERGY STAR “Top Cities” list, spotlighting the cities with the greatest number of ENERGY STAR certified commercial and multifamily buildings last year. Los Angeles leads the pack, with 876 ENERGY STAR certified buildings. To earn the EPA’s ENERGY STAR, a commercial building must have a score of 75 or higher on the EPA’s 1 – 100 scale, indicating that it is more energy efficient than 75% of similar buildings nationwide.

San Francisco ranks fifth in the country with 368 certified buildings and Riverside is ninth with 246. San Diego (13th), San Jose (18th) and Sacramento (19th) all rank in the top 20 for ENERGY STAR certified buildings for 2023.

“EPA is proud to recognize cities across California like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Riverside that are leading the way to cut energy costs while increasing efficiency and reducing emissions,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “ENERGY STAR-certified buildings use significantly less energy than typical buildings, which helps tackle climate change, improve sustainability and protect air quality.”

“As we continue to be faced with an ever-changing climate, we must adapt and build a greener Los Angeles. I’m so proud that for the second year in a row, Los Angeles continues to be the top city in building sustainable and energy efficient buildings,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. “It’s crucial that our infrastructure not only thrives, but also does so efficiently with our climate goals in mind. Thank you to the Department of Building and Safety and LADWP for their continued efforts to ensure our city remains a leader in confronting the climate crisis.”

Contact MEP today for assistance with your ENERGY STAR, LEED, Energy Audit and M-E-P Engineering Design needs! We are EPA-awarded ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year and Sustained Excellence Partner of the Year for 9 consecutive years and counting. www.mep-llc.com