Can energy efficient buildings wage war against downturn?

The design of energy efficient buildings has become a fad by now and almost all of the constituent states of the United States of America are fast adopting and implementing it. What is the present status then? Well, you have to go through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in that case.

What does the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency deal with? The well-know agency has come out with the comprehensive list of 25 U.S. cities for having the most Energy Star buildings in 2008. The top 10 in the list include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Washington, D.C., Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Atlanta and Seattle.

If there is anyone to frown at the success of Los Angeles, let me remind him/her that this city in southern California and also the most populous city of the state is the proud possessor of 262 buildings earning the Energy Star rating. The success of the other prominent cities is in the following. San Francisco with 194 buildings; Houston, 145; Washington D.C., 136 and Dallas, 126. For each and every of them this accomplishment is lofty since Energy Star is EPA’s label for high efficiency and sets standards for everything from light bulbs and appliances to buildings as well.

Energy Star spokesperson Maura Beard while stating, “An Energy Star building uses 35 percent less energy and emits 35 percent less greenhouse gases than average buildings,” expressed the same view.

Now let’s concentrate on the aftermath of this success. As indicated by Ms. Beard the success expresses improvements in buildings along with the growing consciousness of energy efficient buildings. She stated very clearly, “In terms of this list, we looked specifically at [a building’s] reductions in greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. This is a big concern in states like California and Texas where there is a lot of demand on their infrastructure.”

There is a conjecture in the air that only this strategy can embolden USA’s spirit and wage a gallant struggle against downturn to save the moribund real estate sector.