Boston skyline seen in April 2013.
They say a penny saved is a penny earned. You might say the same about energy.
“Energy efficiency may be the cheapest, most abundant, and most underutilized resource for local economic and community development,” says the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). In 2013, ACEEE released its first every “City Energy Efficiency Scorecard,” to measure how major American cities are doing on five energy efficiency criteria:
Transportation – How accessible are energy-efficient modes of transportation? Does city planning consider location-efficient development?
Local Government – Is efficiency taken into account in government operations and in procurement?
Community-wide Initiatives – Does the city have measurable, community-wide efficiency targets? Are strategies in place to combat efficiency the heat island effect?
Energy and Water Utilities – Do residents have access to significant energy and water efficiency programs?
Building Policies – Do building codes have requirements and/or incentives in place to encourage energy efficient development?