The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a list of U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest number of energy-efficient buildings in 2008 that have earned EPA’s Energy Star rating. The list is headed by Los Angeles; San Francisco; Houston; Washington, D.C.; Dallas-Fort Worth; Chicago; Denver; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Atlanta; and Seattle.

“Energy Star buildings typically use 35 percent less energy and emit 35 percent less greenhouse gases than average buildings,” said Lisa P. Jackson, EPA administrator. “EPA commends all of these cities and all of the others, as well as countless individuals, who are now using more energy-efficient appliances and dwellings. They are saving energy, saving money and protecting our environment.”

In 2008, more than 3,300 commercial buildings and manufacturing plants earned the Energy Star rating, representing savings of more than $1 billion in utility bills and more than 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. There are now more than 6,200 Energy Star-qualifying buildings and plants in America with overall annual utility savings of more than $1.7 billion.

According to the EPA, energy use in commercial buildings and manufacturing plants accounts for nearly half of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and nearly half of energy consumption nationwide.

To view a list of Energy Star buildings and plants, including those in the 2008 Top 25 Cities, visit energystar.gov/buildinglist.