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
Codes and Standards | Oct 17, 2022
Ambitious state EV adoption goals put pressure on multifamily owners to provide chargers
California’s recently announced ban on the sale of new gas-powered vehicles starting in 2035—and New York’s recent decision to follow suit—are putting pressure on multifamily property owners to install charging stations for tenants.
| Oct 13, 2022
Boston’s proposed net-zero emissions code has developers concerned
Developers have raised serious concerns over a proposed new energy code by the City of Boston that would require newly constructed buildings over 20,000 sf to immediately hit net-zero emissions goals.
Building Team | Oct 12, 2022
Real estate development practices worsened impact of Hurricane Ian
A century ago, the southwest Florida coast was mostly swamps and shoals, prone to frequent flooding and almost impossible to navigate by boat.
Standards | Oct 11, 2022
Peter Templeton named new USGBC and GBCI president and CEO
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) appointed Peter Templeton as president and CEO.
Legislation | Oct 10, 2022
Chicago’s updated building energy code provides incentives for smart HVAC, water appliances
The Chicago City Council recently passed the 2022 Chicago Energy Transformation Code that is intended to align with the city’s goal of reducing carbon emissions by 62% from 2017 levels by 2040.
Contractors | Oct 6, 2022
Modular construction gets boost from impacts of the pandemic
The impact of the Covid pandemic on the construction industry appears to be fueling demand for modular construction methods, especially in the western U.S. and Canada.
Fire and Life Safety | Oct 4, 2022
Fire safety considerations for cantilevered buildings
Bold cantilevered designs are prevalent today, as developers and architects strive to maximize space, views, and natural light in buildings. Cantilevered structures, however, present a host of challenges for building teams, according to José R. Rivera, PE, Associate Principal and Director of Plumbing and Fire Protection with Lilker.
Resiliency | Sep 30, 2022
Designing buildings for wildfire defensibility
Wold Architects and Engineers' Senior Planner Ryan Downs, AIA, talks about how to make structures and communities more fire-resistant.
| Sep 30, 2022
Lab-grown bricks offer potential low-carbon building material
A team of students at the University of Waterloo in Canada have developed a process to grow bricks using bacteria.
| Sep 27, 2022
New Buildings Institute released the Existing Building Decarbonization Code
New Buildings Institute (NBI) has released the Existing Building Decarbonization Code.