Efficiency
Across the United States there have been massive
movements toward implementing more green measures for the ways in
which we carry out our daily lives. With so many new developments
seemingly occurring on a daily basis here in the Hub, all of these,
including our green efforts with transportation, recycling,
electricity and more have seen Boston make some massive strides
since March. It was only in March when it was released that Boston
as a whole was deservingly recognized as the #10 most energy efficient
city across the United States. In fact, it comes to be known
that this city in that short period of time has now jumped up ten
places and has just been awarded as the #1 most energy efficient
city nationwide!
The American Council for Energy-Efficient Economy has
ranked the top 34 cities in the country based on various
categories. These levels of measurement were, local government
prices, overall volume of green buildings, community-wide projects,
transportation efficiency, and utility participation. For Boston,
the strongest points that spiked them to the top of the list were
our community-wide programs and utility partnerships. One of those
partnerships that has made the biggest impact is the Renew Boston
program. This initiative provides residents of Boston free energy
assessments thus giving them the opportunity to receive up to
$2,000 off air sealing and insulation work done to their
property.
The Top 10 cities this time were Boston, followed by
Portland, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin,
Washington, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Philadelphia. For the various
categories studied and to see how Boston scored for each of them,
please see the following:
Local Government Operations – 11/15 points
Community-Wide Initiatives – 9.5/10 points
Buildings Policies – 21.5/29 points
Energy & Water Utility Policies and Public Benefits
Programs – 15.75/18 points
Transportation Policies – 19/28 points
TOTAL SCORE – 76.75/100 points
With a handful of new forward-thinking green policies in place,
countless projects being built with this green vision and more,
this appears to be quite the remarkable transitional stage for
Boston. The future for not just the real estate market but the
overall efficiency and lessening of our carbon footprint on the
Earth here in Boston looks to be on the ideal path for years to
come.
More Information: Business Insider