The American Council for an Vitality-Environment friendly Economic system (ACEEE) has launched its 2024 Metropolis Clear Vitality Scorecard, and this yr, Portland climbed three spots to eighth place out of the 75 cities ranked.
The scorecard measures the effectiveness of efforts to extend vitality effectivity and clear vitality utilization throughout main U.S. cities. The outcomes mirror Portland’s continued concentrate on attaining its energy-related targets.
Main the Pack in Authorities Operations
Of the 5 coverage areas evaluated, Portland carried out the very best in “native authorities operations,” tying Seattle for the best rating. A key consider claiming the highest spot is Portland’s administration of vitality use at native authorities services, which helps put town on monitor to hit its authorities greenhouse fuel emission discount goal of 53% beneath 2006-2007 ranges by 2030.
ACEEE credited Portland with utilizing 100% renewable vitality to energy its municipal buildings and utilizing 100% LED bulbs on metropolis streetlights. It additionally gave factors for having 15% of town’s fleet be energy-efficient autos (with a purpose of 20% by 2030) and creating vitality benchmarks for all its municipal buildings.
Portland’s concentrate on variety and inclusion applications for procurement and contracting—together with sources for contractor improvement and workforce coaching—additionally contributed to its main rating within the authorities operations class.
Portland was the second highest-scoring metropolis in transportation insurance policies, behind San Francisco. Excessive marks got for Portland’s 2020 modification to zoning code, permitting as much as 4 items per lot in all residential districts and requiring multi-dwelling and mixed-use developments of 5 or extra items to have electrical automobile charging infrastructure.
Although the scorecard displays encouraging successes in some city-wide efforts to advance clear vitality initiatives, it additionally highlights cities with important room for enchancment. Throughout the nation, ACEEE’s evaluation revealed a must create or broaden clear vitality insurance policies to handle three priorities:
- Advancing racial and social fairness
- Adopting constructing vitality efficiency requirements
- Lowering transportation vitality use and greenhouse fuel emissions
To study extra about this yr’s scorecard and the actions wanted to enhance every metropolis’s vitality efficiency, learn the ACEEE’s press launch. For a broader view into energy-efficiency rankings throughout key sectors, try the latest Vitality Effectivity Influence Report.
