The Most Energy Efficient Cities In America [MAP]

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has ranked America's most energy efficient cities, and published a map to document it.

They scored the cities based on five categories: local government policies, community-wide projects, overall volume of green buildings, utility participation, and transportation efficiency.

Which city is No. 1?

Boston - thanks to its "community-wide programs and utility partnerships," especially the Renew Boston program, which provides city residents free energy assessments and makes them eligible to receive up to $2,000 off insulation and air sealing work.

Here's the full map. They also grouped each city into deciles (which correspond with their color and "tier").

Here's the full scorecard:

In a follow-up email, ACEEE principal analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan said Philadelphia and Atlanta got such high marks for transportation because they have high transit-to-road funding ratios.