The United States is the second-largest consumer of energy in the world. According to the US Energy Information Administration, in 2017, the primary energy consumption in the US totaled to about 97.7 quadrillion British thermal units (BTU).
Using low amounts of energy helps the local economy, increases living comfort, saves money, and most importantly, is good for the environment.
Read through this list of the top 10 cities that rank for the lowest energy usage to see if your new city makes this list.
10. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is not only the best at making Philly cheesesteaks, but they are also one of the cities that best conserve energy. As of residential energy consumption, Philadelphia uses about 301,280 billion BTUs and has 28.2 percent of energy use.
The Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA) is also in the process of implementing more strategies for reducing energy consumption to improve the residential community and the local economy. This city has a bright future in terms of low energy usage.
9. San Francisco, California
As a San Francisco resident, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge while saving energy at the same time. This city wants to reach the overall goal of using 100 percent renewable energy for a cleaner and healthier city for its residents.
The local government of San Francisco introduced an environment code that announced the city's goals to bring down greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by 2050. San Francisco works with Pacific Gas and Electric which serves the entire city and actively promotes efficiency with water, gas and electricity.
8. Washington, DC
At the home of the White House, you can also find some of the lowest rates of energy usage as well. The municipal of Washington, DC is focused on greenhouse gas reductions and strives to meet energy saving goals.
Any new building that is constructed in this city is required to meet specific energy efficiency requirements. Every year, DC reduces its emissions by 1.8 percent. By 2032, the goal is to cut energy usage in half.
7. Chicago, Illinois
Most of us know Chicago as the Windy City, but did you know Chicago is also extremely energy-efficient? In 2015, the city's local government brought out the Sustainable Chicago Action Plan. The plan lays out the framework for saving energy in local operations and community/residential operations.
Due to this action plan, by the end of 2015, Chicago increased energy-efficiency throughout the city by a total of 5 percent.
6. Austin, Texas
Although people in living in Austin are blasting the air conditioning in the extreme heat, this city still manages to make the cut for one of the most energy-efficient cities. The Austin City Council passed a document of a resolution that says by 2020, the goal for the entire city is to be carbon-neutral. Austin has specific climate protection plans that implement strategies to reduce carbon emissions by lowering usage of water, fuel and waste.
5. Portland, Ohio
If you're worried about your energy consumption, living in Portland would ease your tensions. Portland's Climate Action Plan puts many strategies to conserve energy into place -- such as requiring specific energy standards for buildings, encouraging energy-efficient vehicles, using LEDs in streetlights and providing teleworking options for government employees.
Every year, Portland lowers energy usage by 2 percent each year. By 2030, the city wants to change 20 percent of vehicles to energy-efficient ones.
4. Los Angeles, California
Beautiful beaches, a lively city, great food and energy-friendly... what more can you ask for living in Los Angeles? This city has three main goals within it's sustainable city plan; this plan outlines reduced bench-marking, public lighting and vehicle fleet efficiency.
As of 2014, 97 percent of the light-duty vehicle fleets were either electric or hybrid which was a big accomplishment. Since 2008, the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting has began replacing over 80 percent of their streetlights with LEDs as well. As the years go on, the city keeps getting better at energy sustainability.
3. Seattle, Washington
If you want to move to Seattle, be ready to bring out your rain boots and save some serious energy. The US Department of Energy has a program called Better Building Challenge, in which Seattle is a proud member of. Similar to the previous cities, this program ensures that every building in Seattle must meet a certain standard of energy-efficiency.
By 2050, Seattle has a goal to have absolutely no net greenhouse gas emissions and to reduce greenhouse gas by 82 percent. These numbers can be reached with efforts from reducing commercial energy use by 45 percent and reducing residential energy by 63 percent.
2. New York City, New York
The Concrete Jungle takes its title as the second most energy-conserving city in the United States. If you know anything about NYC,
you know that buildings make up most of this place. This is why New York City's biggest goal is to make sure the buildings are sustainable in terms of energy.
The Mayor's Office of Sustainability focuses greatly on more efficient and greener buildings. The source energy used in this city totals to 999 trillion BTU which includes components of natural gas, petroleum and other renewable energies. Within the next 10 years, the mayor of New York City wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent which is an incredible goal that would help sustain the economy and environment significantly.
1. Boston, Massachusetts
Boston finds itself sitting at the top of this list for the city with the lowest energy usage. This city actively strives for energy-efficiency with many dedicated efforts which makes it no surprise that they come as number one. Boston works on sustaining wind energy, electric energy, transportation energy, waste reduction, groundwater and building energy.
In 2009, the mayor created a plan called Renew Boston which lays out goals for reducing electricity consumption by 200 megawatts and cutting down on greenhouse gases by 70 percent. To put things into perspective for you, 200 megawatts is enough electricity to power about 92,000 homes!
When picking the right city to live in, it is essential to consider which cities will help you contribute to a more energy-efficient planet. By residing in a city that uses low energy, you are not only saving your money, but you are giving back to an environment that provides for you. We hope that this list will not only encourage you to be energy-conscious but will also help you find the next city you will call home.