How energy efficient is your city? New report ranks 34 largest US cities... a healthier environment and growing economy

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How Energy Efficient Is Your City?
A new report ranks 34 major US cities by their energy-use policies.
Does your city have a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions dramatically? Is it seeking to reduce car use through bike share programs and public transit subsidies? Does it partner with utility companies to help small businesses and homeowners save energy? And does it lobby for statewide energy-efficiency legislation?

Those are just a few of the policies that have made Boston the top-ranked city for energy efficiency, according to a new report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Portland, Ore., placed second, followed by New York, San Francisco, and Seattle.

ACEEE ranked 34 major American cities—the 25 most populous incorporated ones, plus the central cities of nine other major metropolitan areas—according to their efforts to promote energy savings. The report looked at building codes, community-wide energy initiatives, transportation policies, energy-saving programs involving public utilities, and efforts to improve the efficiency of government building. You can see where each city ranked on the map above.

The 10 Most Energy-Efficient Cities In The U.S.
The 2013 City Energy Efficiency Scorecard released this week by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) catalogs the efforts of America’s most populous on policies to advance energy efficiency. In addition to saving money, the rankings show that cities which are pro-active about energy-efficiency enjoy a healthier environment and growing economy.

“The report is the first to rank cities exclusively on energy efficiency efforts,” explains a press release. “Cities are evaluated on what actions they are taking to reduce energy use in five key areas: buildings; transportation; energy and water utility efforts; local government operations; and community-wide initiatives.”

In all, 34 cities were assessed in the report, but here’s a peek at the top 10 with their respective scores (out of 100):
Boston (76.75)
Portland (70)
New York (69.75)
San Francisco (69.75)
Seattle (65.25)
Austin (62)
Washington, D.C. (56)
Minneapolis (55.25)
Chicago (54.75)
Philadelphia (54.5)

Although Boston took the top spot, they weren’t necessarily the clear and away leader in all categories. “Portland scored highest in transportation and local government operations. Seattle ranked first in building policies. San Francisco tied with Boston for first in utility public benefits programs, and Austin is the city furthest ahead of its state on energy efficiency policy,” states the release. Also, only 11 cities scored more than half of the possible points (Denver was 11th), which indicates that there is plenty of room for improvement across the board.

“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.”

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Images courtesy American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) / Mother Jones