D.C. is national leader in number of energy-efficient buildings

Washington D.C. is now the top city in the country for energy-efficient buildings. The Environmental Protection Agency publicly divulged on Wednesday that the D.C. and its suburbs earned the top spot on its official list of U.S. metropolitan areas with the most Energy Star certified buildings. Los Angeles had previously occupied the top spot for the last six years since the program began back in 2009. The Energy Star program was designed to protect and preserve the environment by controlling energy consumption. In order to receive Energy Star certification, buildings must outperform 75 percent of buildings nationwide in terms of efficiency. According to the EPA, the Washington metropolitan area currently has 480 of these kinds of buildings. Tommy Wells, the acting director of the District Department of the Environment, stated that the city is overjoyed to be a national leader in efficiency.