Thanks largely to an ambitious program to boost the use of LED lighting in its buildings, Los Angeles is the top ranked U.S. city on the Environmental Protection Agency’s annual list of U.S. cities that are doing the most to improve energy efficiency.
Los Angeles took on the world’s largest LED lighting efficiency and energy savings project five years ago, and is saving millions on electricity as a result.
Buildings that perform in the top 25% of similar structures in the United States are eligible for the Energy Star designation. Building owners/managers need to verify that level of performance independently. Energy Star buildings typically use an average of 35% less energy than those like them, along with a corresponding reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
Commercial, institutional, and government buildings can earn Energy Star recognition. Many of the Energy Star buildings have undergone LED lighting retrofits or installed smart meters and dashboards that track energy usage.
For example, Mercy Philadelphia Hospital installed LEDs in all of its exit signs, along with sensors, timers, photo light controls and motion detectors. The hospital reduced electric consumption to about 9.86 million kilowatt-hours (kWhs) in 2013, compared with 10.2 million kWhs in 2012. The resulting savings is about $20,534 per year.
Related Stories
| Mar 15, 2012
ANSI approves new fall protection standards
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has approved two American Society of Safety Engineers' (ASSE) standards addressing fall protection.
| Mar 8, 2012
Engineering innovation provides new option for meeting seismic codes in skyscrapers
Two University of Toronto engineers have developed “viscoelastic-energy-dissipating dampers” to replace many of the heavy concrete beams used in tall structures.
| Mar 8, 2012
CSI webinar on building code compliance March 22
A March 22 webinar will provide an overview of a 28-step process during the design of a building to ensure compliance with building codes.
| Mar 8, 2012
Federal silica dust rule caught in bureaucratic limbo
A federal rule meant to protect the lungs of workers has been caught in bureaucratic purgatory for more than a year.
| Mar 8, 2012
New LEED-EBOM rating has requirements for specific project types
Several key changes are proposed for the LEED-EBOM Rating System in 2012.
| Mar 8, 2012
Green buildings more resilient than conventionally built structures
A new study by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning suggests that structures built to green standards can advance building resiliency.
| Mar 1, 2012
LEED Platinum standard likely to mean net-zero energy by 2018
As LEED standards continue to rise, the top level, LEED Platinum, will likely mean net-zero energy construction by 2018.
| Mar 1, 2012
EPA beefs up stormwater discharge rule from construction projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has now finalized its 2012 construction general permit (CGP) that authorizes stormwater discharges from construction projects that disturb one or more acres of land in the areas where EPA is the permitting authority.
